Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

USA: Extradition

Sir David Davis: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with their US counterparts on the UK-US Extradition Treaty, in the context (i) the case of Anne Sacoolas and (ii) other prominent cases.

David Rutley: Extradition is a matter for the Home Office, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the courts. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not had recent discussions with the US on the UK-US Extradition Treaty.With regards to Anne Sacoolas, she has now been sentenced. We engaged frequently with the US on this case when it was ongoing: in 2022, it was raised at least seven times by FCDO ministers or senior officials with US counterparts.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Asylum

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department has spent on aid for asylum seekers living on Diego Garcia in each of the last 12 months.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department has spent on healthcare for asylum seekers living on Diego Garcia in the last two years.

David Rutley: The FCDO provides funding to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration to help support the good governance of the Territory. This funding includes all costs associated with temporarily supporting the migrants on BIOT and supporting their departure from the territory. The information requested on the breakdown of spending can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

USA: Extradition

Sir David Davis: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department has taken to prevent miscarriages of justice as a result of the UK-US extradition treaty.

David Rutley: The UK-US Extradition Treaty continues to produce tangible results, bringing justice to victims in both the UK and US. All individual extradition requests are subject to the Extradition Act 2003, which requires a UK judge to decide whether the requested person's extradition would be appropriate based on the safeguards and protections included in the Act. Extradition continues to be a vital tool in our fight against transnational crime. The US is one of our main extradition partners and it is in our national interest to have an effective extradition relationship.

Asylum: British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many people have requested asylum on the British Indian Ocean Territory by nationality in each of the last two years.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many asylum seekers are registered as living on Diego Garcia.

David Rutley: As an uninhabited territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) does not have an asylum system as the 1951 Refugee Convention has not been extended to the territory. Where migrants have claimed that they are unable to return safely to their country of origin, their cases are considered by the Commissioner for BIOT in line with BIOT law and international legal obligations. We do not comment publicly on individual claims for protection.

UNRWA: Finance

Richard Burgon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to what date UK funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been transferred to that body; and whether any funding has been provided for the financial year 2024-25.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year.Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response.

Boris Johnson

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he had discussions with Mr Boris Johnson (a) before and (b) after his recent meeting with President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.

David Rutley: Boris Johnson was visiting entirely in a personal capacity and not acting on behalf of the UK Government. His trip was not funded by the UK Government. The UK does not accept the legitimacy of the administration put in place by Nicolás Maduro following the 2018 presidential election.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Domestic Visits

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

David Rutley: The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals).As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers' travel at home or abroad.

Development Aid: Armed Conflict

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to his international counterparts on the need for an agreement on expediting the delivery of aid into conflict zones.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK advocates for the full, unimpeded, safe and timely access by impartial humanitarian actors to those in need of protection and life-saving assistance in conflict zones and crisis situations.We will continue to use our political influence and diplomatic networks in support of frontline humanitarian agencies, helping to ensure people caught up in conflict and crisis receive the protection and assistance they need. We also partner with, and fund, key UN agencies and actors such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who work on the frontlines in conflict to negotiate humanitarian access and enable aid to reach those who need it most.

Somaliland: Commonwealth

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of whether Somaliland meets the criteria for joining the Commonwealth.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of Somaliland joining the Commonwealth.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will support the application by Somaliland to join the Commonwealth.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of Somaliland joining the Commonwealth.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent and equal sovereign states. It is for the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth Secretariat to take forward expressions of interest and to assess whether an aspirant member meets the eligibility criteria for membership. The UK, alongside others in the international community, does not recognise Somaliland's unilateral declaration of independence. We believe that the settlement of Somaliland's status is an issue for Somalia and Somaliland to decide through a consultative process and dialogue.

Armed Conflict: Civilians

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of international frameworks for the protection of civilians in conflict zones.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: A range of obligations exist in International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law and International Refugee Law concerning the protection of civilians affected by conflict.We consistently use our diplomatic influence to uphold protective laws and hold those who break them to account. We fund organisations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): a crucial actor in the protection of people in conflict. We initiated and are continuing to engage with discussions at the UN on a proposed Crimes Against Humanity Convention.

Gaza: Ceasefires

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the hon. Member for Hammersmith during the Oral Statement of 27 February 2024 on Israel and Gaza, Official Report, column 159, on what evidential basis he said that a ceasefire would collapse without a prior humanitarian pause.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.There are several vital elements for a lasting peace, including the release of all hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package; removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza; and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.

International Law: Courts

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps with his international counterparts to accelerate the pace at which international courts work.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: International courts whether criminal (e.g. the International Criminal Court [ICC]) or dealing with matters of general international law (e.g. in the International Court of Justice), deal with some of the most complex matters of international law. In the former, evidence gathering is often a difficult and painstaking process especially if evidence and witnesses are in a conflict zone and suspects are not in custody. However, once trials start, on average they take no longer than domestic trials of similar complexity. As a State Party to the Rome Statute and an initiator of the Independent Expert Review of the ICC, the UK has supported efforts to make the ICC more effective and efficient. In other international courts, where judgments may impact on states beyond the parties in the dispute, judges are often required to hear considerable numbers of arguments before coming to a judgment. Such judgments may affect matters of global governance, treaty interpretation as well as developing international jurisprudence.

Mozambique: Islamic State

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) his counterpart in Mozambique, (b) representatives of the Southern African Development Community and (c) his counterparts in states neighbouring Mozambique on potential support in tackling security threats posed by IS-Mozambique.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In May 2023, the Minister of State for Development and Africa visited Mozambique and met President Nyusi. They discussed UK support for the Government of Mozambique's response to the ongoing IS-Mozambique insurgency in Cabo Delgado, including through new programmes aimed at building local resilience to violent extremism, security and human rights training that has been delivered to over 200 Armed Forces personnel to date. During the same visit to the region, the Minister of State for Development and Africa met South Africa's Deputy Minister for International Relations & Cooperation to discuss a range of topics including peace and post conflict development in Mozambique. Our UK Special Representative to SADC also regularly engages with SADC missions on peace keeping in the region.

Nature Conservation: Finance

Steve Reed: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the press release by the Prime Minister, entitled Prime Minister commits £3bn UK climate finance to supporting nature, published on 11 January 2021, if he will provide a breakdown of where this money has been spent to date.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Between financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23 the UK spent £763 million on climate change interventions that protect and restore nature and biodiversity. This includes £402 million on programmes focussed on protecting and restoring forests and £361 million on programmes supporting other nature and biodiversity priorities such as protecting oceans and supporting land use and agriculture. All programmes supported by UK International Climate Finance, including those supporting our nature commitment can be accessed via the development tracker website and we provide a detailed breakdown of programme spend to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) every two years in line with our international reporting obligations.

Development Aid

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many and what proportion of development projects were delivered through in-country contracts in each year since 2019.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons the end of custody supervised licence scheme (a) is operational and (b) has been since October 2023.

Edward Argar: Unlike Labour’s End of Custody License scheme which ran from 2007 to 2010, End of Custody Supervised Licence only operates in specific prisons where it is absolutely necessary. The number of prisons where it is in operation is reviewed constantly and therefore varies as required.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2023 to Question 199796 on HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges, how many and what proportion of those orders were made for trials that involved allegations of (a) rape and (b) serious sexual assault.

Mike Freer: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Over £1 billion savings for motorists as whiplash reforms come into force, published on 31 May 2021, what estimate he has made of the average saving on motor insurance in each of the last three years.

Mike Freer: Part 3 of the Civil Liability Act 2018 (the Act) requires motor insurers in England and Wales to provide the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with data on savings arising from its provisions and on how they have been passed on to policy holders. The Act also requires that a report on the savings made must be completed and laid before Parliament by no later than 1 April 2025. The data gathering phase has been completed and the FCA are now working with HM Treasury officials to prepare a report which will be published in line with statutory deadlines.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average settlement time is for minor injury claims going through the Official Injury Claim portal.

Mike Freer: Average settlement time for claims going through the Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal at the end of February 2024 was 239 days. This can be broken down to 259 days for represented claimants and 115 days for unrepresented claimants. Further information and data on OIC can be found here: https://www.officialinjuryclaim.org.uk/resources-for-professionals/data/.

Civil Proceedings

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for a first hearing of a civil justice case was in the latest period for which data is available.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the backlog in civil courts; and whether he has set targets to reduce average waiting times by case type.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are waiting for their civil case to be heard by claim type.

Mike Freer: I refer the honourable Member for Stockton North to the answer I gave on 19 February 2024 to PQ 13277 and the answer I gave on the 23 January 2024 to PQ 9675 in relation to the steps being taken to improve timeliness in civil courts.Due to the nature of Civil claims, data relating to the number of people awaiting hearing is not held centrally. The time to hearing in relation to the small proportion of civil claims which are defended and proceed to trial is published quarterly: Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

Wandsworth Prison: Death

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many deaths have been recorded at HMP Wandsworth since 30 June 2023.

Edward Argar: Deaths recorded by prison are published as part of our Safety in Custody statistics, updated quarterly, and available in the Deaths Data Tool at the following link: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Please note that deaths at Wandsworth are currently published from 30 June 2023 – end of December 2023. Figures to the end of March 2024 are not due for publication until April 2024 and cannot be released at this time.Deaths in prison custody figures include all deaths of prisoners arising from incidents during prison custody. They include deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) for medical reasons but exclude other types of ROTL where the state has less direct responsibility.In addition to deaths in prison custody which occur in hospitals, hospices or nursing homes, a small proportion will occur while in an ambulance on the way to hospital, while the prisoner is under escort.Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners.We have implemented a revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) case management approach across the prison estate. Revisions in ACCT v6 include a stronger emphasis on taking a person-centred approach; better multi-disciplinary team working; a consistent quality assurance process and an improved focus on identifying and addressing an individual’s risks, triggers and protective factors.We are implementing a new safety training package for staff. It brings together related safety topics, including suicide and self-harm prevention and understanding risks, triggers and protective factors.We fund Samaritans through a grant providing total funding of just under £2 million between 2022 and 2025. This is primarily for the delivery of the Listener scheme (through which selected prisoners are trained to provide support to fellow prisoners in emotional distress).We have also worked with Samaritans to develop a postvention response to providing support in the period following a self-inflicted death in order to reduce the risk of further deaths. This has been successfully piloted and the renewed grant includes funding for this service to be maintained until March 2025.

Prisoners' Release

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for which types of offences prisoners released under the end of custody supervised licence scheme were sentenced.

Edward Argar: End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) allows certain lower-level offenders to be released before their automatic release date. Unlike Labour’s scheme, which ran from 2007 to 2010, all offenders will be released onto strict licence conditions.Nobody convicted of serious violence will be released early and anyone convicted of any sexual or terror offence is automatically excluded. In contrast to Labour’s approach, we have also introduced an additional safeguard, whereby it remains at the discretion of the prison service to block the ECSL release of any prisoners where releasing an offender earlier presents a heightened risk than if they were released at their automatic release date.

Domestic Abuse and Stalking: Prisoners' Release

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) domestic abusers and (b) stalkers are ineligible for release under the end of custody supervised licence scheme.

Edward Argar: Nobody convicted of serious violence will be released early and anyone convicted of any sexual or terror offence is automatically excluded. Unlike Labour’s End of Custody Licence scheme, which ran from 2007 to 2010, all offenders who may be eligible for release will be subject to the same set of licence conditions that would apply had they been released automatically.Those licence conditions will reflect the risk management release plan prepared by probation staff and what is necessary to safely manage the offender in the community. The offender can be immediately recalled to prison if they do not comply or otherwise behave in a way that is assessed to be putting the public at risk.In contrast to Labour’s approach, we have introduced an additional safeguard, whereby it remains at the discretion of the prison service to block the ECSL release of any prisoners where releasing an offender earlier presents a heightened risk than if they were released at their automatic release date.

Prisons: Offensive Weapons

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many weapon finds there were in prisons in England and Wales in each year sine 2018.

Edward Argar: The number of incidents of weapon finds in prisons in England and Wales is published in the HMPPS Annual Digest through the Finds Incidents Data Tool.The figures include incidents occurring within escort areas. These figures represent the number of incidents where weapons were found - multiple weapons can be found and recorded as one incident.Weapons drive violence, undermine safety and security and have no place in our prisons.Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the smuggling of illicit items such as weapons, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. As of October 2023, we have recorded 46,925 positive indications, helping to tackle the smuggling of weapons and other illicit items into prisons. The investment also funded Enhanced Gate Security at 42 high-risk sites, enhancing our routine searching of staff and visitors. 84 X-ray baggage scanners have also been installed at 49 sites to further strengthen our ability to detect the smuggling of illicit items including weapons.In January this year, we introduced Restricted Fly Zones around prisons to disrupt illegal drone use. This strengthens our ability to intercept illicit items, such as weapons, being smuggled via drones, and enables the police to fine or prosecute those seeking to undermine prison security.

Prison Accommodation

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in prison are accommodated (a) alone in a cell intended to accommodate one person, (b) alone in a cell intended to accommodate two persons, (c) in a cell or dormitory intended to accommodate more than one person and (d) with another person in a cell intended for one person as of 26 February 2024.

Edward Argar: The requested information has been provided in table form below. Please note that the sum of these populations does not match the recorded total population on the day. This is because some of the prisoners in (b) are also counted in (c). A prisoner could be the sole occupant in cell for 2 people and would be included in (b) and the same prisoner in the same cell would also be included in (c). CategoriesNumber(a) alone in a cell intended to accommodate one person51701(b) alone in a cell intended to accommodate two persons882(c) in a cell or dormitory intended to accommodate more than one person13857(d) with another person in a cell intended for one person22095   The determination of the maximum crowded capacity of a particular establishment is a matter of operational judgement, considering risks to safety and stability. In times of severe population pressure, establishments will be expected to hold as many prisoners as they can safely accommodate, but it is equally clear that that number should be determined by the operational managers responsible for managing the prison, not by a central process or by wider supply and demand issues. We are delivering 20,000 additional modern uncrowded prison places, the largest prison build programme since the Victorian era, ensuring the right conditions are in place to rehabilitate prisoners, helping to cut crime and protect the public. We have already delivered c.5,900 places including through our two new 1,700-place prisons, HMP Five Wells and HMP Fosse Way and we are on track to have delivered around 10,000 places in total by the end of 2025. We are also investing in our prisons to make them safer for both prisoners and staff by taking a preventative approach to safety, making key changes to the physical environment and testing new technology. We will continue to invest in critical prison maintenance and renewal to ensure that we keep as much capacity as possible in use and fit for purpose.

Young Offender Institutions: Prison Governors

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Governors from (a) Cookham Wood, (b) Feltham, (c) Parc, (d) Werrington and (e) Wetherby Young Offender Institution have met (i) the Youth Custody Service and (ii) officials from his Department in the last 12 months.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times a member of the Senior Leadership Team from Oakhill Secure Training Centre has met (a) the Youth Custody Service and (b) officials from his Department in the last 12 months.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Senior Leadership teams at Secure Children’s Homes in England and Wales have met (a) the Youth Custody Service and (b) officials in his Department in the last 12 months.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Governors from HM YOI (a) Cookham Wood, (b) Feltham, (c) Parc, (d) Werrington and (e) Wetherby have met the (i) Senior Leadership Team from Oakhill Secure Training Centre ii) the Senior Leadership teams at Secure Children’s Homes in England and Wales in the last 12 months.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to promote communication between (a) HM YOI governors, (b) the senior leadership team of Oakhill Secure Training Centre and (c) Secure Children Home managers in England and Wales and (i) the Youth Custody Service and (ii) officials in his Department.

Edward Argar: The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is a specialist service which forms part of His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Governors of young offender institutions are officials of the Ministry of Justice and members of the YCS. Headquarters staff in the YCS are in frequent daily communication with governors of young offender institutions, with the Director of HMYOI Parc, and with the senior leadership teams at Oakhill Secure Training Centre and those secure children’s homes in which young people sentenced to custody are placed. Owing to their frequency, it is not possible to calculate the number of meetings that have taken place within the last 12 months although contact between YCS HQ and sites is a daily occurrence. The YCS will shortly be launching a regular event at which Governors of public sector young offender institutions, the Directors of HMYOI Parc and Oakhill Secure Centre, and Registered Managers from secure children’s homes come together to share best practice and experience of managing children at their sites. In addition, a new staff exchange programme will shortly be launched, to enable staff in each sector of the youth estate to gain experience of how children and young people are supervised and cared for in other sectors.

Rape: Sentencing

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) reviews of Sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection for people sentenced for rape and (b) a ban on such Sentences on victims of rape.

Gareth Bacon: The sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) was abolished in 2012. For those still serving the sentence, it is for the independent Parole Board to determine whether to release an IPP prisoner by considering the evidence presented and applying the statutory release test.On 16 October 2023 the Lord Chancellor announced to the Parliament reforms to ensure that convicted rapists (and those convicted of the most serious sexual offences) must serve 100% of their custodial term in prison. These reforms will be legislated for in the Sentencing Bill. Since 2010, offenders convicted of rape are serving longer in prison, with sentences rising almost 3 years, from approximately 6.5 years in 2010 to approximately 9.5 years now – an over 40% increase.

Prisoners' Release

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme.

Edward Argar: End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) began in October 2023, and an analysis of its use will be based on one year’s worth of data and published on an annual basis in line with other statistics, such as deaths of offenders in the community.

Prison Service: Productivity

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department plans to take to measure productivity in the prison service.

Edward Argar: Across the Ministry of Justice, we are focused on improving productivity through streamlining and strengthening key processes and funding innovative schemes that will drive down reoffending, delivering better value for taxpayers and a more efficient justice system. The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates for productivity across the public sector, and my officials are working with them to improve the way that productivity is measured for the justice sector. HMPPS is also in the process of refreshing the staffing resource model for prisons, which will support productivity by refining how we attribute target staffing to delivery outcomes, and support prioritisation of resources at both a local and national level. We are also investing in digital and technological initiatives in prisons, which will increase staff productivity by reducing administrative burden on staff. This means staff time can be spent more meaningfully on core, purposeful tasks, such as running the regime, building on staff-prisoner relationships, and engaging more effectively with vulnerable prisoners. I welcome the Chancellor’s public sector productivity review and, as part of this, the Ministry of Justice has been working to identify new opportunities for improving productivity across HMPPS and the MoJ. As announced in the Spring Budget, the Government is investing £170m into the justice system over the next four years to improve productivity and deliver a justice system fit for the modern era. This includes a £6m investment to accelerate the development of digital services to replace legacy systems and improve productivity, and £16m to increase prison workshop activity to boost employability and focus resources on rehabilitative activities.

Wandsworth Prison

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of conditions in Wandsworth prison on the health of (a) prisoners and (b) staff.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to monitor the effects of conditions in HMP Wandsworth on the health and well-being of prisoners and staff.

Edward Argar: The Prison Group Director for London is taking active measures to support the health and well-being of staff and prisoners at HMP Wandsworth. He conducts regular visits to assess and monitor conditions at the prison. Accompanied by lead representatives for Health, Safety and Wellbeing at His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, he meets regularly with the Governor to discuss any actions that need to be taken to address identified concerns. In addition, monthly tripartite meetings are held between Regional Estates, Finance and Health and Safety representatives, where decency is a standing agenda item. A Senior Safety Lead has recently been appointed to support local initiatives and work to improve safety outcomes for prisoners. A Task and Finish Group has recently been set up to address concerns about the physical environment of the in-patient unit at HMP Wandsworth, to improve infection prevention and control.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for delivering the first New Medium Helicopter.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the invitation to negotiate document for the New Medium Helicopter programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what social value considerations are included in the procurement of the New Medium Helicopter.

James Cartlidge: The New Medium Helicopter competition includes a 10% weighting for social value in line with the Cabinet Office Social Value Model and guidance. The competition also includes an additional 15% weighting for UK industrial capability which includes essential industrial considerations, spanning design, production, manufacture and importantly, export potential. This is intended to ensure that the New Medium Helicopter contract will secure the vital operational independence we require, as well as investing in UK skills for the long-term and demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to the Defence & Security Industrial Strategy.

Ministry of Defence: Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) electronic warfare, (b) chemical, (c) biological, (d) radiological and (e) nuclear integrated battlespace in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: The Joint Electronic Surveillance (JES)​, Force Protection Electronic Counter Measures, (FPECM)​, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) delivery teams’ total spend on equipment by financial year is as follows: FYTotal spend £million2019-20£128.171m2020-21£146.601m2021-22£120.897m2022-23£168.069m The Joint Electronic Surveillance (JES), Force Protection Electronic Counter Measures, (FPECM), and Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) delivery teams’ total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows: FYTotal spend £million2019-20£11.648m2020-21£12.644m2021-22£12.602m2022-23£14.107m The Joint Electronic Surveillance (JES), Force Protection Electronic Counter Measures, (FPECM), and Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) delivery teams are specific project teams in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of those teams. The figures do not represent the total spend on all electronic warfare or chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear projects across Defence which would not be held centrally and would not be answerable without a disproportionate cost.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on remotely-piloted air systems in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: The DE&S Remote Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) delivery team total spend on equipment by financial year is as follows: FYTotal spend2019-20222.3762020-21235.9162021-22395.3162022-23401.739  The RPAS total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows: FYTotal spend2019-2015.4952020-2116.2192021-2218.4342022-2316.768 The RPAS is a specific project team in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of that team. The figure does not represent the total spend on all remote piloted air system projects across Defence which would not be held centrally and would not be answerable without a disproportionate cost.

Military Aircraft

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many flying hours he has completed domestically on RAF aircraft since his appointment.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of his domestic travel using RAF aircraft since his appointment.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Ministerial transport will vary and is always decided with consideration to the best use of time and interests of the taxpayer. As a whole, domestic flights allow Ministers and members of their office to visit more parts of the United Kingdom in the time available, particularly areas further away from London, and reduce the need for overnight accommodation. All travel decisions are made with consideration for security and time restraints. It is not the convention to provide granular detail on the movements of protected individuals.

Ajax Vehicles: Testing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's publication entitled MOD common law compensation claims statistics 2022/23, published on 26 February 2024, what was the total cost to the public purse of settled compensation claims for noise-induced hearing loss related to the Ajax project in each financial year since 2018-19.

James Cartlidge: None of the Ajax-related Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claims have yet settled.

Ajax Vehicles: Testing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's publication entitled MOD common law compensation claims statistics 2022/23, published on 26 February 2024, how many and what proportion of new compensation claims on noise-induced hearing loss were related to the Ajax project in each financial year since 2018-19.

James Cartlidge: The information requested, by financial year (FY), is below:-  FY2018-19 – NilFY2019-20 – NilFY2020-21 – NilFY2021-22 – Four (0.1%)FY2022-23 – Four (0.1%)

Ministry of Defence: Empty Property

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many buildings owned by his Department and its agencies are currently empty.

James Cartlidge: The Department does not hold this information centrally and it can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled DE&S and Team Resolute sign Fleet Solid Support ships contract, published on 18 January 2023, which (a) blocks and (b) modules will be built at Harland and Wolff's UK sites.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (Alex Chalk) to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) on 25 January 2023 to Question 128600.Fleet Solid Support Ships: Contracts (docx, 15.0KB)

Members: Written Questions

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 24 January 2024 to Questions 10872 and 10873 on Ranger Regiment, the Answers of 24 January 2024 to Questions 10657 and 10658 on Armed Forces: Recruitment, the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10656 on Armed Forces: Discharges, the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10655 on Armed Forces and the Answer of 30 January 2024 to Question 10874 on Defence Equipment: Theft, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Croydon Central with the information requested.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I will respond to the hon. Member shortly.

Netherlands

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions the Government has had with the government of the Netherlands on the future Littoral Strike Platform.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled New Amphibious Transport Ships better suited for war conditions, published by the Dutch Ministry of Defence on 6 March 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to end the joint procurement of a littoral strike platform with the UK on the Royal Navy’s plans to acquire this capability through the Multi-Role Support Ship programme.

James Cartlidge: The Multi-Role Support Ship Programme is currently in its pre-concept phase, which has included the exploration of opportunities to collaborate with the Netherlands on common design options, interoperability, and equipment commonality. The focus is on determining the requirement and on setting the programme up for success, with work ongoing to ensure affordability. The UK continues to have a strong and enduring relationship with the amphibious forces of the Netherlands, and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands last year reaffirmed that commitment. The intent will be collaborate and co-operate across the amphibious and littoral domains, both in developing equipment capability, interoperability and exploiting training opportunities to mutual benefit.

Ministry of Defence: National Insurance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid in National Insurance contributions in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The total value of Employer National Insurance costs between FY 2010-11 and FY 2022-23 are shown in the table below. YearDepartmental Group Total£million2022-23951.52021-22870.32020-21858.12019-20811.12018-19794.62017-18802.32016-17778.52015-16586.52014-15611.72013-14631.42012-13658.22011-12689.22010-11681.7

Ministry of Defence: VAT

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid in VAT in each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) can provide details of VAT paid (both recoverable and non-recoverable) by MOD’s main VAT registration for the previous four financial years. During this period, we have paid a total of £20.9 billion in VAT.  VAT paid but recovered from HMRC £millionVAT paid and not-recovered £millionTotal VAT, £ millionFY2019/201,8353,0054,840FY2020/211,9553,0264,981FY2021/222,1323,1435,275FY2022/232,2003,6075,807Total8,12212,78120,903

Watchkeeper WK450

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Watchkeeper unmanned aircraft systems are currently operational.

James Cartlidge: Details of the number of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in the UK Armed Forces are published on an annual basis on the gov.uk website.  The most recent publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-equipment-and-formations-2023For reasons of operational sensitivity we do not release figures on the current availability of any platform.

HMS Bulwark: Repairs and Maintenance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when HMS Bulwark will (a) complete its maintenance period and (b) return to operational service.

James Cartlidge: I can confirm HMS BULWARK will be regenerated from extended readiness and maintained so that she can be ready to deliver defence outputs if required.

Ministry of Defence: Domestic Visits

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers' travel at home or abroad.

Department of Health and Social Care

Blood: Contamination

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what psychological support is available for people (a) infected and (b) affected by contaminated blood and blood products in Glenrothes constituency.

Maria Caulfield: Health services in Scotland are the responsibility of the Scottish Government.Anyone living in Scotland who has been infected or affected by infected blood or blood products has access to specialist psychological support services. There are two such services established by the Scottish Government and managed by NHS Lothian: the Inherited Bleeding Disorders Psychological Support Service, which is available for any patients with a bleeding disorder or their family, and the Scottish Infected Blood Psychological Service. Both services can see patients from across Scotland by means of outreach services, virtually using the NHS Near Me service, or by telephone.

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Public Health England: Staff

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent staff were employed in the health improvement directorate of (a) the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and (b) Public Health England in each year since 2017.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Yellow Card Scheme: Medical Records

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date work on digitally linking Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority Yellow Card information to NHS clinical records (a) began and (b) is expected to be completed.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Domestic Visits

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs: Safety

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Coroner’s report entitled Oli Hoque: Prevention of future deaths report, published on 13 October 2022, what steps NHS England is taking to allow the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority to compel the timely production of clinical data when conducting investigations into harms arising from regulated medicines.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Children

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of levels of parental (a) choice and (b) responsibility to decide the medical care their child receives.

Maria Caulfield: No assessment has been made of the adequacy of levels of parental choice and responsibility to decide the medical care their child receives. Those with parental responsibilities are entitled to give consent for medical treatment on behalf of their children. However, they are not entitled to inappropriate treatment for their children, or to refuse treatment which is in the child’s best interests.

Kimberly Liu

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking in response to the Kimberley Liu: Prevention of future deaths report, published on December 29, 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department takes all prevention of future death reports seriously, including working with healthcare partners where appropriate to develop our responses. We are conscious of the statutory deadline for these reports, and the Department will provide a formal response in due course.

Royal Free Hospital: Maternity Services

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the potential impact of closing maternity services at the Royal Free Hospital.

Maria Caulfield: The Department has not undertaken such an assessment. The North Central London Integrated Care Board has conducted an impact assessment on the proposals as part of its consultation on proposed changes to maternity, neonatal, and children’s surgical services in North Central London, which is due to close on 17 March 2024. This impact assessment is available at the following link:https://nclhealthandcare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ALT-TEXT_Maternity-Neonates-IIA-1.pdf

Yellow Card Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Yellow Cards for covid-19 vaccinations were (a) identified by the MHRA as being of special interest and (b) followed up by the MHRA in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

Maria Caulfield: Adverse events of special interest (AESI) are medical events or conditions that have been identified as possible vaccine safety concerns, based mainly on previous experience with other vaccines and immune-mediated events which theoretically may occur, as vaccines stimulate an immune response. AESIs for COVID-19 vaccines were subject to enhanced surveillance by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and many other regulators from the start of the United Kingdom’s immunisation programme.Specifically in relation to AESIs, the MHRA has received 22880 UK spontaneous suspected adverse reaction (ADR) reports across all COVID-19 vaccines. Over 157 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given in the UK. It is important to note that Yellow Card reports are not proof of a side effect occurring, and the incidence of a reaction occurring cannot be determined by these reports. The MHRA considers that the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh the risks for the majority of people.The MHRA acknowledges receipt of every Yellow Card report received, and a team of safety experts follow up for additional information as necessary, including consideration of reports with a fatal outcome, based on the completeness, severity, and clinical details provided in the report. Responses to follow-up requests for ADR reports are recorded and stored with the original report on our ADR database. The information is then passed downstream for use in signal detection and the identification of safety concerns.The data is available for its core purpose of assessment and signal detection, however, the systems were not designed to quantify follow-up metrics requested in this parliamentary question. As such it is not possible to automatically generate metrics on the proportion of follow-up requests sent. The MHRA has provided information on follow up rates under Freedom of Information, within the 20 day statutory timeframes based on manual review of reports, and is committed to publishing high level data on its website.

Consent to Medical Treatment: Pupils

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the use of Gillick competence for vaccinations in schools.

Maria Caulfield: The Gillick competence is a guideline used to determine whether children can provide informed consent based on their level of intelligence, knowledge, and competence. In schools, where requests for parental consent haven’t been responded to, vaccinators may ask for the child’s parents’ contact details to seek oral consent over the phone. For young people, and children in secondary school settings who may be offered the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine alongside other school aged vaccinations, after every attempt to gain parental consent has been exhausted, the School Aged Immunisation Service team may make a clinical decision to give the vaccination using the Gillick competence framework. This allows a child to consent to their own treatment where appropriate, and when they are competent to do so.The Green Book Chapter two, Information for public health professionals on immunisation, provides guidance on seeking consent for vaccination, including the use of the Gillick competence. Obtaining consent to treatment and assessing the adequacy of the use of the Gillick competence in schools is the responsibility of each service provider.

Cot Deaths

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of what can be done to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Maria Caulfield: Prevention and early intervention are paramount to preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and we want to ensure that every family receives the support and guidance they need during the early days of parenthood.Health visitors have an important role supporting child health, wellbeing, and parenting confidence. They support families in improving health literacy, managing minor illnesses, and preventing accidents, including promoting safe sleeping for babies. Health visitors can also work with early years services to ensure that safer sleep messages are promoted across early years services. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-of-public-health-services-for-children/early-years-high-impact-area-5-improving-health-literacy-managing-minor-illnesses-and-reducing-accidentsThe Department is also working alongside NHS England and the National Child Mortality Database (NMCD) to increase the data bank on SIDS, to increase our evidence base, understanding, and inform actions and policy.

Suicide

Danny Kruger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of findings from (a) the report by the Anscombe Institute entitled Suicide prevention: does legalising assisted suicide make things better or worse?, published on 21 April 2022, and (b) other suicide prevention organisations.

Danny Kruger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of legalising assisted dying on suicide prevention programmes.

Maria Caulfield: It remains the Department’s view that any change to the law in this sensitive area is a matter for Parliament to decide, and an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than one for Government policy. The Department as no such plans to make any formal assessment.

Trastuzumab Deruxtecan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to encourage the England-wide roll-out of the drug Enhertu to aid the treatment of people with breast cancer.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.The NICE published guidance in 2021 and 2023 recommending Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) for the treatment of NHS patients with HER2-positive breast cancer through the Cancer Drugs Fund, and it is now available to eligible NHS patients in line with the NICE’s recommendations.The NICE is currently evaluating Enhertu for the treatment of metastatic HER2-low breast cancer, and published final draft guidance on 5 March 2024 that does not recommend it as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. Stakeholders have until 19 March 2024 to lodge an appeal against the NICE’s recommendations. The NICE currently expects to publish final guidance on 3 April 2024.

Public Health: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to assess the adequacy of staffing levels in public health.

Andrew Stephenson: In October 2022, Health Education England carried out the fifth national census to capture the size and composition of the public health workforce in England. The scope of the 2022 census was expanded to include additional roles beyond specialists, including public health practitioners, advanced practitioners, specialist community public health nurses, including school nurses and health visitors, and public health apprentices. NHS England plans to conduct the next capacity review of the public health workforce in 2025, and will work with the Department to define the scope of the review.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver a health workforce that meets the needs of the population. This includes a commitment to provide 13% more public health specialist training places from 2023/24, and for the NHS to work with the Department to address demand and supply of the public health workforce in future years.

Luspatercept: Licensing

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with (a) NICE and (b) Bristol Myers Squibb on restarting the NICE appraisals process for luspatercept (Reblozyl).

Andrew Stephenson: Departmental officials regularly discuss a range of issues with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including on access to medicines such as luspatercept (Reblozyl). The Department has had no discussions with Bristol Myers Squibb on this specific topic.Luspatercept has a licence in the United Kingdom for the treatment of adult patients with transfusion-dependent anaemia due to very low, and low and intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome with ring sideroblasts, who had an unsatisfactory response to, or are ineligible for, erythropoietin-based therapy. The NICE had to terminate its appraisal of luspatercept for treating anaemia caused by myelodysplastic syndromes because the manufacturer did not provide an evidence submission. The NICE will review this decision if the company decides to make a submission.

Hospitals: Construction

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has approved the business case costings for the New Hospital Programme.

Andrew Stephenson: On 25 May 2023, the Government announced that the New Hospital Programme (NHP) is expected to represent over £20 billion of capital investment for the financial year 2030/31, and that there would be a rolling programme of investment in health infrastructure in the longer term. Future spending beyond this current spending review period will be subject to the usual spending review processes.The NHP has developed a third version of its Programme Business Case (PBC) which includes costs for the programme’s future spend. This was approved by the Department’s Joint Investment Committee on 19 February 2024. Following this approval, the PBC will go through Government assurance processes in May 2024. Future spend will be confirmed through the usual processes of future spending reviews, and all funding allocations for specific schemes within the NHP will only be confirmed once the individual Full Business Cases have been reviewed and agreed by ministers.

Department of Health and Social Care: Fraud and Maladministration

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in her Department from £0.5m in 2019/20 to £43.2m in 2020/21.

Andrew Stephenson: The increase in reported error in 2020/21 was due to the NHS Business Services Authority commencing the reporting of errors identified as part of their NHS Provider Assurance activity.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health services.

Maria Caulfield: More and more people are getting support with their mental health thanks to investments made through the NHS Long Term Plan. Unfortunately, demand has risen as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the cost of living on people’s mental health continues to be felt. This means that some people are facing waiting times that are much longer than we would like.We are providing record levels of investment and increasing the mental health workforce to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services, to expand access and reduce waiting times. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, NHS spending on mental health has increased by £4.6 billion in cash terms, as compared to the target of £3.4 billion in cash terms set out at the time of the Long Term Plan. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to grow the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff between 2019/20 and 2023/24. We are making positive progress, delivering two-thirds of this, or 17,000 additional staff, by September 2023, with further significant growth expected by the end of this financial year.The NHS is also working towards implementing five new waiting time measures for people requiring mental healthcare in both accident and emergency and in the community, for both adults, and children and young people. This includes working towards improving the quality of data that we have on waiting times for people requiring mental healthcare, in both accident and emergency and in the community. NHS England began publishing this new data in 2023 to improve transparency and drive local accountability.

Long Covid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of people with long covid.

Maria Caulfield: The Government does not currently routinely record the total number of people with long COVID, or new cases identified. However, the most recent data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that for the four week period ending 5 March 2023: 1.9 million people, or 2.9% of the population, in private households in the United Kingdom reported experiencing long COVID symptoms; 83,000 people first had, or suspected they had, COVID-19 less than 12 weeks previously; 1.73 million people had symptoms for 12 or more weeks, 1.3 million people for at least a year and 762,000 for at least two years; and 1.5 million people reported day-to-day activities adversely affected. Of these, 381,000 people reported that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been limited a lot.On 25 April 2024, the ONS will be publishing additional analysis from the fortnightly Winter Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Study, including data on trends in ongoing symptoms of COVID-19. This article will expand on the existing analysis published in the Winter Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Study’s data tables, to look more in depth at trends in self-reported symptoms of COVID-19, including ongoing symptoms and associated risk factors.

Shingles: Vaccination

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing the shingles vaccine to adults aged 65 and over.

Maria Caulfield: The Shingrix programme was recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), to provide better and longer lasting population-level protection from a younger age than the previous Zostavax programme. The Shingrix shingles vaccination programme was introduced from September 2023, to offer two doses of the vaccine to immunocompetent individuals turning 65 and 70 years old, and severely immunosuppressed adults over 50 years old.A cost-effectiveness review by the JCVI concluded that although the highest monetary benefit would be to provide the Shingrix vaccination at 65 years old, by offering it at 60 years old the highest number of cases would be prevented. For immunosuppressed individuals, Shingrix was determined to be cost-effective between the ages of 50 to 90 years old.To avoid undue additional pressure on National Health Service delivery services, the Shingrix vaccine will be delivered in a phased approach over 10 years, after which the vaccine would then be offered routinely from 60 years old.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to increase the uptake of the HPV vaccine by (a) girls and (b) boys.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with charities such as Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust to develop resources to raise awareness and educate young girls and boys about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and related cancers. The UKHSA has helped develop education resources for schools called EDUCATE, co-developed with teenagers and the Health Protection Research Unit on Behavioural Science and Evaluation.School Aged Immunisation Service (SAIS) providers have continuously been focusing on HPV programme recovery since the pandemic and the school closures, and have robust catch-up plans in place for HPV vaccination based on population need, and utilising opportunities from the HPV programme change in September 2023 to deliver further catchup activities from the academic year 2023/24 using innovative models.The UKHSA monitors uptake for immunisation programmes for teenagers. Annual published statistics help local NHS Screening and Immunisation teams develop plans to improve uptake and reduce inequalities in collaboration with key partners, including Directors of Public Health, and teams in local authorities.

Shingles: Vaccination

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to introduce the shingles vaccine for adults aged over 65.

Maria Caulfield: The current policy is to offer the shingles vaccine to anyone who turned 65 and 70 years old after 1 September 2023, as well as to anyone aged 50 years and older who is at higher risk of serious complications. This policy has significantly improved the already very successful programme.People aged 66 to 69 years old on 1 September 2023, who do not have a severely weakened immune system, will become eligible for shingles vaccination when they turn 70 years old. Those with a severely weakened immune system are eligible for the shingrix vaccine from 50 years old, due to their increased risk. Anyone who is unsure if they are at higher risk of complications from shingles should speak to their general practitioner. It is important that anyone eligible takes up this offer to protect themselves.The Government’s policy on groups eligible for the shingles vaccination programme is based on recommendations by the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the scope and speed of any expansion of a programme is decided between the UK Health Security Agency, the Department, and NHS England.

Mental Health Services: Civil Society

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support charitable organisations providing mental health services to those in need.

Maria Caulfield: The Department recognises the valued contribution that mental health and suicide prevention voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations make in supporting people with their mental health. During the pandemic, we provided £10.2 million of additional funding to support mental health charities, including Samaritans and the Campaign Against Living Miserably, and over £34 million to organisations supporting people who experience loneliness. More recently, we announced that 79 organisations across the country have been allocated funding through the £10 million suicide prevention grant fund. These organisations, from local, community-led organisations through to national, are delivering a broad and diverse range of activity that will prevent suicides and save lives.We have also announced that £8 million is being made available for 24 early support hubs across the country, a number of which will be run by voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.

Surgical Mesh Implants: Compensation

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for making a decision on redress for people affected by mesh implants following the publication of The Hughes Report on 7 February 2024.

Maria Caulfield: The Government commissioned the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC) to produce a report on redress for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. We are grateful to the PSC and her team for completing this report, and our sympathies remain with those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government is now carefully considering the PSC’s recommendations, and will respond substantively in due course.

Health Services: Wandsworth Prison

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the document entitled the National Partnership Agreement for Health and Social Care for England: improving the quality of services for people in prison and those subject to statutory supervision by the probation service in the community 2022-2025, if she will make a comparative assessment with Cabinet colleagues of standards of healthcare received by (a) prisoners at HMP Wandsworth and (b) the general population.

Maria Caulfield: There are no plans to make such an assessment. As set out in the National Partnership Agreement for Health and Social Care for England, healthcare services in all prisons in England, including HMP Wandsworth, are commissioned by NHS England to national specifications, to make sure that prisoners receive the same standards of healthcare as the general population.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the outcomes of the Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; and if she will have discussions with the Leader of the House on making parliamentary time available for scrutiny of those outcomes.

Andrea Leadsom: Smoking is the number one entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability, and death in this country. It is responsible for 80,000 deaths in the United Kingdom a year, and one in four of all UK cancer deaths. It costs our country £17 billion a year, £14 billion of which is through lost productivity alone. It puts huge pressure on the National Health Service and social care, costing over £3 billion a year. This is why the Government is committed to creating the first smokefree generation, ensuring no child born after 1 January 2009 will ever legally be sold tobacco. The tenth Conference of Parties (COP10) to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco control was an opportunity for the UK to showcase our international leadership on tobacco control. No decisions from COP10 will impact our plans to create the first smokefree generation, or our policies on vaping. I will update the House shortly on the outcomes from COP10.

General Practitioners: Bristol East

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of waiting times for GP surgeries in Bristol East constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: In the last 12 months to December 2023, 41% of the 407,000 appointments in Bristol East were delivered on the same day they were booked, and 84.1% were delivered within two weeks of booking. NHS England publishes monthly data on General Practice Appointments, including the approximate length of time between appointments being booked and taking place, but this is not a proxy for waiting times. There are a number of factors which can influence the timing of appointments, and it is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery, and an appointment.

Cystic Fibrosis: Prescriptions

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding cystic fibrosis to the list of medical conditions for which a medical exemption certificate for free NHS prescriptions may be issued.

Andrea Leadsom: While the Government’s policy remains that there are no plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate, there are extensive arrangements currently in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone.Around 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place, for which those with cystic fibrosis may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. The scheme provides income related help to people who are not automatically exempt from charges, but who may be entitled to full or partial help if they have a low income and savings below a defined limit.To support those with greatest need, who do not qualify for an exemption or the NHS Low Income Scheme, prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need, for a set cost.

Dentistry

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) dental nurses, (b) dental hygienists, (c) dental technicians, (d) dental therapists, (e) orthodontic therapists and (f) clinical dental technicians were employed in each financial year since 2010-11.

Andrea Leadsom: Data on how many dental nurses, dental hygienists, dental technicians, dental therapists, orthodontic therapists, and clinical dental technicians are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) is available at the following link:https://www.gdc-uk.org/about-us/what-we-do/the-registers/registration-reportsIn order to practise in the United Kingdom, all members of the dental team must be registered with the GDC. The Department does not hold data on the number of employed dental nurses, dental hygienists, dental technicians, dental therapists, orthodontic dentists, or clinical technicians.

Dentistry

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists were registered with the General Dental Council in each financial year since 2010-11; and of those registered dentists how many and what proportion provided some NHS care.

Andrea Leadsom: The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentists and dental care professionals (DCPs) practising in the United Kingdom and enforces the standards they must adhere to. In order to practise in the UK, all dentists and DCPs are required to hold registration with the GDC.The Department does not hold data on how many dentists have been registered with the GDC. Data on the registration of dentists and DCPs with the GDC is held by the GDC. The GDC regularly publish registration reports on their website at the following link:https://www.gdc-uk.org/about-us/what-we-do/the-registers/registration-reportsThe following table shows the number of dentists with National Health Service activity in England only between the years 2010/11 to 2022/23:Number of dentists with NHS activity in EnglandYearNumber of dentists2010/1122,7992011/1222,9202012/1323,2012013/1423,7232014/1523,9472015/1624,0892016/1724,0072017/1824,3082018/1924,5452019/2024,6842020/2123,7332021/2224,2722022/2324,151 Source: Data is from the NHS Dental Statistics for England Annual Report 2017-18 (Workforce Table 8a) and the NHS Dental Statistics for England Annual Report 2022-23 (Workforce Table 1a). The reports are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics

Medical Records: Children

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she expects every child to have a personal child health record.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of new-born children were give a digital NHS personal child health record in the last 12 months.

Andrea Leadsom: Every baby is allocated a National Health Service number as soon as their birth is notified by the attending midwife. This is linked to the NHS number of the birth mother. Once registered at a general practice (GP) surgery, a baby will also have a GP record. This is the first digital health record which most babies will receive, and is linked to their existing NHS number.The aim of the Digital Personal Child Health Record programme is not to create a new, standalone record, but to use existing infrastructure to facilitate better coordination between existing records. This will support families in accessing the information they need when they need it, and for professionals to offer more informed, joined-up care.We have improved access to relevant content and information about maternity, early years, and Start for Life, via the NHS App, and made it easier for families to register a new baby digitally at a GP practice. Over 2000 practices have already adopted the solution, which consists of an online registration service and a new paper form. GPs will be contractually required to adopt and offer both formats, from October 2024.We have also prepared the launch of a pilot programme which will allow anyone with parental responsibility to apply digitally for access to their child’s record, for any child up to 13 years old. This has now launched in 70 GPs in England, and will make it much easier for parents to manage a child's digital health record. For example, once rolled out across England, this will enable the parent or carer to view their baby’s digital GP record, book appointments, and request prescriptions, all via the NHS App.

Preventive Medicine: Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to (a) identify young people most at risk of poor health in later life and (b) mitigate that risk.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government recognises the significant impact that youth health can have across a person’s life course, and is committed to keeping young people healthy, preventing ill-health, and providing treatment and support where needed. The Department leads a range of universal public health interventions and guidance for those aged between zero and 19 years old, that provide universal support, and help identify further needs and safeguarding concerns for children and young people most at-risk.People with both physical and mental health conditions face poorer clinical outcomes, and a significantly lower quality of life, than people with a physical health condition alone. This is why the Government is rolling out mental health support teams to schools and colleges in England, to detect and offer evidence-based interventions to young people experiencing mild-to-moderate mental health issues. These currently cover 3.4 million children, or approximately 35% of pupils, which will increase to 50% by 2025. When deciding where to introduce mental health support teams, integrated care boards consider how teams will reach young people most at risk of poor outcomes. In addition, on 27 February 2024 we announced extra funding for 24 early support hubs for young people across England, so that thousands of children and young people will receive earlier, open-access mental health interventions in local communities.

Obesity: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle obesity in primary school children.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she taking to help support parents to tackle obesity in their children.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help support parents of children up to the age of five to tackle childhood obesity.

Andrea Leadsom: We are taking strong action to support children and their families in achieving and maintaining a healthier weight. The Government is investing approximately £300 million to improve support for families though the joint Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. The programme will implement many elements of the Best Start for Life Vision and is delivering a step change in outcomes for babies, children, and their parents and carers in 75 local authorities in England, including those with high levels of deprivation. The funding package includes £50 million to invest in infant feeding services, which will enable participating local authorities to design and deliver a blended offer of advice and support, in line with local needs. We support more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Scheme. We also support parents with primary aged children in England to eat well, and move more, through Better Health Families. This includes healthy eating advice and easy recipes, a Food Scanner app to help families to swap less healthy foods and drinks to healthier alternatives, and the Healthy Steps email-programme to inspire and support parents to take easy steps to improve their families' health and wellbeing.We work with the Department for Education to ensure that children are provided healthy food options in early years settings, and in school. For children aged zero to five years old, the Early Years Foundation Stage framework states that where children are provided with meals, snacks, and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced, and nutritious. The Eat Better, Start Better guidelines and example menus support parents, carers, and anyone working with children to provide healthy food options.The School Food Standards are set in legislation and require that school caterers serve healthy and nutritious food and drinks, to ensure children get the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day. Foods high in fat, salt, and sugar are restricted. We are also helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network.In addition, primary school children are educated about healthy eating through the relationships, sex, and health education curriculum. By the end of primary school, pupils should know what constitutes a healthy diet, the principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals, the characteristics of a poor diet, and risks associated with unhealthy eating. We have programmes to identify children living with excess weight, and local authorities and the National Health Service in England provide weight management services. The National Child Measurement Programme monitors the weight status of children at the start and end of primary school. The programme provides is a useful prompt to parents and schools to support healthy eating and physical activity. Data is used to help local authorities plan healthy weight, food and activity support and services for children and their families. Local authorities can fund weight management services to support children and families, to achieve a healthier weight from their Public Health Grant. The NHS has commissioned a number of Complications from Excess Weight clinics across England for children and young people living with complications related to severe obesity. We are also delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people achieve and maintain a healthier weight.Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt in key selling locations, came into force on 1 October 2022.  We will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price, for instance three for two offers, and will introduce restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9:00pm on television. We will also be implementing restrictions on paid for online advertising for less healthy products, from 1 October 2025.We are working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation. In addition, the Food Data Transparency Partnership will help enable and encourage food companies to voluntarily demonstrate progress on the healthiness of their sales.

Oesophageal Cancer: Screening

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the use of the capsule sponge test to detect oesophageal cancer.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England commissioned an evaluation to assess the impact of the capsule sponge test in secondary care, for patients on a routine reflux pathway. The evaluation report was completed in September 2023 and the national pilot will conclude in March 2024.On 26 February 2024, NHS England published the results of the capsule sponge test pilot for secondary care routine reflux and Barrett’s surveillance cohort, which began in January 2021, and launched at 30 hospitals across England. The pilot tested over 8,500 patients with the capsule sponge test. Evaluation of a cohort of patients showed almost eight out of 10 patients, who completed a test, were discharged without the need for further testing, freeing up endoscopy capacity for higher risk patients and those referred for urgent tests for oesophageal cancer. Patients with positive results from the capsule sponge test who were referred on for an endoscopy had the highest prevalence of Barrett’s oesophagus, at 27.2%, compared to zero patients with negative results who completed an endoscopy.NHS England has not committed to national uptake of capsule sponge, but will continue to support integrated care boards (ICBs) and local systems to deliver in their area. The evaluation report was published and shared with local National Health Service systems including Cancer Alliances, NHS providers, and ICBs to support with local service provision. The evaluation findings should be interpreted and used locally, based on need.NHS England is continuing to explore other capsule sponge use cases, including in primary and community care settings jointly funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Cancer Research UK. Separately to this, the CYTOPRIME2 project is funded through the NHS Cancer Programme’s Innovation Open Call and is assessing the feasibility and safety of using capsule sponge in a primary care setting, and evaluating key outcome metrics.

NHS: Standards

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Comment entitled Health spending planned to fall in England and Scotland in 2024–25, suggesting a top-up likely, published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies on 4 March 2024, what steps he is taking to help ensure the NHS maintains (a) quality of care and (b) patient outcomes in the 2024/25 financial year.

Andrew Stephenson: The Spring Budget 2024 announced that the Government is protecting the day-to-day funding of the National Health Service in England, providing an extra £2.45 billion in 2024/25. This will allow the NHS to continue to focus on reducing waiting times, and will bring the NHS’s resource budget in 2024/25 to £164.9 billion. This means that NHS funding will increase from 2023/24, and equates to a real terms increase of 13% since 2019/20.An additional £3.4 billion of capital funding announced at the budget will aid the NHS’ technological and digital transformation over three years, between 2025/26 and 2027/28. This will provide wider benefits to quality of care and patient outcomes, such as better prevention, and patients living longer and healthier lives, as a result of receiving scans earlier. Devolved administrations, including Scotland, will benefit from additional funding through the Barnett formula.

Prescription Drugs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her Department's policy is on maintaining (a) supply of and (b) access to commonly prescribed medicines.

Andrew Stephenson: There are approximately 14,000 licensed medicines, and the overwhelming majority are in good supply. However, the medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex, and global, and supply disruption is an issue which affects countries all around the world.There are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, including manufacturing difficulties, regulatory non-compliance, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes, or distribution issues. Supply issues are driven by a range of factors, many of which are non-specific to the United Kingdom.Whilst we can’t always prevent supply issues from occurring, the Department has a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise, and help mitigate risks to patients. We work closely with industry, the National Health Service, and others, to develop bespoke mitigation plans, which are tailored to each issue, to help ensure patients continue to have access to the medicines they need.

Department for Transport

Roads: Finance

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.12 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, what the core level of funding for local roads was before the additional £8.3 billion was announced.

Guy Opperman: In the 2023/24 financial year, the base level of funding before the additional £8.3 billion multi-year funding uplift was announced was £1.15 billion. This included the one-off £200 million uplift announced in Budget 2023. Prior to this the 2021 Spending Review had confirmed that the core level of funding for local highway maintenance would be a total of £915 million per year, to be shared between all eligible local highway authorities in England over the period 2022/23 to 2024/25. Authorities in London and in receipt of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) are treated separately. Funding allocations for highways maintenance can be found on GOV.UK.

Ports

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received from DP World on maritime and ports policy since 17 March 2022.

Guy Opperman: The Department has received contact from DP World on the following maritime and port related issues: From February 2023, DP World met Department officials on the progress of design and implementation of their Modal Shift incentivisation scheme at DP World’s Port of Southampton facility, which Rail officials acknowledged. In November 2023, DP World wrote to seek an opportunity to discuss DP World’s continued investment in the UK, and reset the relationship with the Government after a period of non engagement with the Department following the P&O Ferries sackings. More recently, last week the Department was notified of P&O Ferries’ intent to sign the Seafarers’ Charter.

Channel Ferries

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he last held discussions with DP World on the operation of cross channel ferry services.

Guy Opperman: The current Secretary of State and Department for Transport Ministers have held no discussions with DP World on the operation of cross-channel ferry services. Last week, DP World and P&O Ferries notified the Department it is committed to signing the Seafarers’ Charter.

Eurostar: Ashford International Station

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Eurostar on reopening international rail services from Ashford since 1 January 2024.

Huw Merriman: I fully recognise the important benefits international rail services provide for the areas and communities they serve, including for the people and businesses in Kent. I last met with Eurostar in December 2023 and emphasised the UK Government’s desire to see the return of international services at Ebbsfleet and Ashford as soon as reasonably possible. My officials have and will continue to engage regularly with Eurostar on this matter and press for the reinstatement of services at Kent stations once it is commercially viable for them to do so.

Railways: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11059 on Railways: Finance, how much was spent on rail enhancements in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023.

Huw Merriman: Rail enhancements are delivered through the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline, which has spent the following in each year in CP6 (including contributions to 3rd party schemes), from 2019 (figures shown in £m, nominal):a) 2019/20: £1,475mb) 2020/21: £1,477mc) 2021/22: £1,685md) 2022/23: £1,840me) 2023/24: £2,156** (outturn data for 2023/24 is provisional and is subject to change)

Railway Signals: Cambridge

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11055 on Railway Signals: Cambridge, what his Department's timeframe is for the development of a business case for the re-signalling of Ely Junction.

Huw Merriman: The recently announced Network North programme of investment included confirmation of government’s support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) programme and the substantial benefits this will bring, including a doubling of passenger services on the Ely to Kings Lynn and Ipswich to Peterborough routes together with additional freight paths into the Port of Felixstowe.Network Rail have developed the scheme to Outline Business Case stage; next steps will involve further investment case development and delivery planning.

Railways: North of England

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) reporting mechanisms and (b) governance structures are in place to oversee spending on the Transpennine Route Upgrade project.

Huw Merriman: TRU is overseen by a Programme Board comprising senior DfT, Network Rail, Train Operating Companies and freight industry members, it also includes independent non-Executives and an Independent Chair to ensure robust challenge. The DfT's Senior Responsible Owner retains overall accountability for successful delivery of the project.

Roads: Safety

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2024 to Question 13143 on Roads: Safety, and with reference to the Answer of 28 February 2023 to Question 150393 on Roads: Safety, whether it remains his policy to publish an updated Road Safety Strategic Framework.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to road safety, and we are working on a number of measures to keep our roads and road users safe.

Shipping: Registration

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new vessels were registered with the UK Ship Register since 30 March 2022.

Guy Opperman: Based on the UK Ship Register data, from March 2022 to December 2023 (the most recent month for which data is finalised), 96 merchant and pleasure vessels, joined the UK ship Register.

Housing Estates: Construction

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average timeframe for local authorities to enter into section 38 agreements from when they are first proposed.

Guy Opperman: The Department does not hold information on this matter. Local highway authorities do not have to inform the Department when they enter into agreements of this sort.

Motorcycles: Training

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2023 to Question 5 on Motorcycles: Training, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Motorcycle Industry Association’s proposals to reform compulsory basic training on (a) road safety, (b) the quality of rider training and (c) rider skill levels.

Guy Opperman: In 2017 the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) published its response to the Improving Motorcycle Training consultation, and committed to exploring:updating the qualification process for motorcycle instructorsupdating the content and structure of the compulsory basic training (CBT) syllabusstrengthening the quality assurance scheme for motorcycle instructorsOfficials met with key representatives of the motorcycle organisations on 4 December 2023 to discuss motorcycle safety. The next round table meeting, which is scheduled for 8 May 2024, will consider and explore:taking forward reforms to motorcycle CBT and testingthe Motorcycle Industry Association's request for a wider review of licensing for L category vehicles as set out in the ‘A Net License to Zero’ proposals and action planlicence reforms

Motorcycles: Driving Tests

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 27 November 2023 to Question HL240, whether he has made an assessment of the Motorcycle Industry Association’s proposal to merge the motorcycle module 1 and module 2 tests since that date.

Guy Opperman: This is an issue in the primary control of Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The DVSA and Department for Transport officials met with representatives of the motorcycle sector at a Stakeholder Roundtable Meeting on 4 December 2023 to discuss motorcycle safety and licensing reform. Further discussions are ongoing.There is a proposed round table with the Motorcycle Industry Association, and other key stakeholders, scheduled for May 2024.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2024 to Question 11316 on Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions, what engagement his Department plans to undertake with the L-Category industry on the development of EV charging infrastructure in the next six months.

Anthony Browne: The Department has engaged extensively with the L-Category sector since the publication of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan in July 2021 and will continue to do so to support its transition to zero emission vehicles whenever appropriate.

Department for Education

Children: Literacy

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of having subtitles switched on as a default for children's television programmes and films on children's literacy levels.

Damian Hinds: The department has recently made an assessment of the evidence behind the Turn on the Subtitles campaign and the current evidence is inconclusive as to whether turning on the subtitles improves children’s reading. It is the choice of parents and carers whether their child watches television with the subtitles on.The government is committed to continuing to raise literacy standards, ensuring all children can read fluently. There is a supportive package of measures in place which aims to benefit the most disadvantaged pupils and is a key step in our mission to level up education standards in England. This includes the £67 million English Hubs programme which is now in its sixth year of delivery. It also incorporates the updated Reading Framework, an updated list of validated phonics programmes, funding for the purchase of phonics programmes and the National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy.

Higher Education: Antisemitism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-Semitism in higher education institutions in the South East.

Robert Halfon: Antisemitism, intimidation, and threats of violence must never be tolerated on university campuses. The Community Security Trust 2023 annual report highlights the unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents in higher education (HE). This unacceptable rise is deeply concerning. All antisemitism is abhorrent, and universities should have robust systems to deal with incidents of support for unlawful antisemitic abuse and harassment. The department will not tolerate unlawful harassment or the glorification of terrorism.Ever since the October 7 attacks, the department has actively intervened to ensure that universities, including those located in the South East, act swiftly and appropriately to deal with incidents of antisemitism. I have reached out to many Vice Chancellors personally when a concern has been raised about antisemitism on their campus.Furthermore, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and I wrote to all universities on 11 October 2023, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and to actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. I wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November 2023, emphasising that they must use disciplinary measures wherever appropriate, highlighting the importance of police engagement, and reiterating that student visas could be suspended where a foreign national is found to have committed or incited acts of racial hatred. This was one of the key actions set out in the five point plan for tackling antisemitism in HE, which was published on 5 November 2023. The plan also involves:Calling for visas to be withdrawn from international students who incite racial hatred. Visas are a privilege, not a right, and the government won’t hesitate to remove them from people who abuse them.Logging specific cases and sharing them with the Office for Students for their consideration.Continuing to make it clear in all discussions that acts that may be criminal should be referred to the police.Establishing a Tackling Antisemitism Quality Seal, which will be an award available to universities who can demonstrate the highest standards in tackling antisemitism. On 22 November, the government announced in the Autumn Statement an additional £7 million over three years to tackle antisemitism in education. The Quality Seal will be the cornerstone of this package for universities, providing a framework of measures that will make clear what good practice is in tackling antisemitism in HE, and making sure that our universities are a safe and welcoming space for Jewish students and staff, as for all students and staff.The department will not hesitate to take further action across education to stamp out antisemitism and harassment of Jewish pupils, students and staff.

Overseas Students: Ukraine

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16899 on Overseas Students: Ukraine, whether Ukrainian students will be able to continue studying with home fee status if their leave to remain in the UK is transferred to international student status at the closure of the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

Robert Halfon: Changes have been made to the Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations 2007 from the 2024/25 academic year so that, where a person’s Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme leave expires during their course and they are granted further leave to remain under one of the standard immigration routes, they will continue to be eligible to access home fee status in order to complete their studies.

Overseas Students: India

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of international students studying in the UK from India in the last 12 months.

Robert Halfon: Data on the number of international students by country of domicile can be found on Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) website here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/where-from. HESA data is not available for the last 12 months.

Shipping: Apprentices

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many seafarer apprentices have been trained by private shipping companies operating in the UK since 17 March 2022.

Robert Halfon: There were 50 apprenticeship starts in England on the Seafarer (Deck Rating) apprenticeship standard in the 2021/22 academic year, 40 starts in 2022/23 and 20 starts reported so far, August to October, for 2023/24. The department cannot identify whether the apprenticeship employer is a private shipping company.

Home Office

Visas: National Security

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2024 to Questions 16488 and 16489 on Visas: National Security, for what reason his Department does not publish this information.

Tom Pursglove: Our caseworking systems do not include MI reporting that differentiates between the various non-conducive refusal types and so the information requested is not available in a reportable format.

Public Expenditure

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the additional funding provided to the police in the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, will have a consequential impact on the police allocation formula.

Chris Philp: The Government has announced an additional £234m will be invested in police productivity over the next four years.This funding will be used to pilot or roll out cutting-edge technology such as live facial recognition, automation and the use of drones as first responders. It will also set up a Centre for Police Productivity to support police forces’ use of data and deliver this technology, maximising productivity and the use of AI.Funding will be distributed to specific programmes and we are working with policing partners to allocate this funding. This funding will help all forces to free-up police officer time and improve performance.

Immigration Controls

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people with valid digital immigration status have been detained at the UK border for non-possession of physical immigration status documents in the last 12 months.

Tom Pursglove: Border Force do not hold the data on people who have been detained for not possessing evidence of their permission to enter, obtained digitally, in an easily accessible format.Immigration system statistics, year ending December 2023, are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2023.

Animal Experiments: Animal Welfare

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a fee for a project licence under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and using the funds generated to (a) support the further development of non-animal methods and (b) improve enforcement of the regulatory framework.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government charges fees for regulation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 on a full cost recovery basis. The Government has no plans to introduce a fee for project licences. The Government will shortly increase the current fees to maintain high standards of regulation.The Government recently announced that it will double investment, from £10m to £20m per annum, in research to achieve the three Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) and develop non-animal alternatives. The Government will also publish a plan to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of technologies and methods to reduce reliance on the use of animals in science.

Home Office: Fraud and Maladministration

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in his Department from £13.4m in 2019-20 to £17.1m in 2020-21.

Tom Tugendhat: In reference to your question, the Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA, formerly the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise) as part of established reporting cycles. The government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent. Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across government. This is in line with the government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.The Home Office detected error in 2019/20 was published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and in 2020/21 was published in the Fraud Landscape Report. The reasons for any increase are set out in these documents.The PSFA assists ministerial departments and public bodies in their delivery of specialist fraud activity. In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

Police: Training

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Overhaul of criminal justice system delivers significant improvement for rape victims, published on 10 July 2023, how many extra police officers have been trained in investigating rape and sexual offences.

Chris Philp: We recognise that specialist skills and knowledge is critical to ensuring rape and sexual offence cases are progressed and managed effectively.We are supporting the College of Policing to improve the learning and development offer available to officers on rape and sexual offences. This includes developing new, academic-informed, training for investigators and officers likely to make initial contact with victims.In July, we also announced that 2,000 officers will complete new specialist training on investigating these crimes by April, which will mean more officers building stronger cases and placing victims at the heart of their response. The College of Policing are confident that this commitment will be met and we will provide a further update shortly.

Police: Training

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police officers working in Child Abuse Investigation Teams had completed training in rape and sexual offences investigations by 12 March 2024, broken down by police force.

Chris Philp: The Government recognises that having police officers with the right skills is critical in ensuring child abuse investigations are progressed and managed effectively. Given policing is operationally independent, it is the responsibility of Chief Constables to manage the allocation of officers to different crime types and to ensure they are appropriately trained and equipped to undertake investigations. The Home Office therefore does not hold the specific information requested.The Government continues to invest in a range of work to strengthen law enforcement capacity and capability to tackle child sexual abuse, including developing and delivering an effective and victim-focused response. This includes funding policing’s Vulnerability, Knowledge and Practice Programme which aims to improve and coordinate police practice in protecting vulnerable people, including identifying and sharing best practice across police forces, as well as improving partnership responses.Additionally, the College of Policing has developed the Specialist Child Abuse Investigators: Development Programme (SCAIDIP) - a specialist course aimed at developing investigators working within the child abuse investigation arena.And in July 2023, the Government also announced that 2,000 officers will complete new specialist training on investigating rape and serious sexual offences by April this year. This will mean more officers building stronger cases and placing victims at the heart of their response. The College of Policing is confident that this commitment will be met.

Home Office: Domestic Visits

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Chris Philp: I refer the Hon. Member to my response to UIN 17620 on 13th March 2024.

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral statement of 12 March 2024 on Update on foreign national offenders, prisons and probation, in what roles the 400 additional caseworkers were previously working.

Michael Tomlinson: The additional caseworkers referenced in the oral statement of Secretary of State for Justice on 12 March 2024 are Home Office staff.The 400 additional caseworkers are external recruits and were not transferred from other roles.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water Abstraction: Licensing

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licences for abstraction in chalk streams have been rescinded in each year since 2010.

Robbie Moore: A total of 110 licences affecting chalk streams have been revoked since 2010. A further 158 have been varied or reduced. The abstraction licence changes have returned over 37 billion litres of water per year to chalk catchments and prevented a further 110 billion litres per year being abstracted. Number of abstraction licences, affecting chalk streams, that have been changed up to 30.09.23YearNumber of licences varied or reduced Number of licences revoked Total201070720112101220123032013538201414620201530535201650520172445692018431659201951217202095142021055202211202310313Total158110268

Urban Areas: Flood Control

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting a target for all towns and cities at risk from flooding to improve water retention on public land by 10%.

Robbie Moore: Our Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Policy Statement sets out our long-term ambition to create a nation more resilient to flood and coastal erosion risk. This includes a holistic approach to managing water throughout catchments that considers the full range of actions which could be taken in an area, upstream and downstream by a variety of bodies. This includes natural flood management measures such as small scale storage or tree planting, using water infrastructure such as reservoirs to create space for water and manage flows, and blue green infrastructure such as sustainable drainage systems. This helps to ensure water availability in times of drought and slow and store water in times of excess. On 13 March 2024 the Government published its response to the NIC’s study into ‘Reducing the risk of surface water flooding’ in England. In it, Government commits to work with the Environment Agency, National Infrastructure Commission, Climate Change Committee and other experts during 2025 to assess the merits of setting a long-term target and the most appropriate measure for flood risk reduction from all sources of risk. This work will be informed by the new National Flood Risk Assessment (due end of 2024) which will identify priority areas of flood risk and enable improved monitoring of progress. The work to consider a long-term target will also contribute towards our reforms to local flood risk management planning. We plan to consult on these reforms in 2024 and this will include considering how local areas can best set measurable outcomes for flood risk in their areas and catchments, for all sources of flood risk to drive local action and progress. Future plans will support an integrated approach which promotes joined up action across the whole of an area or catchment, including upstream and downstream, and taking into account the impacts to surrounding areas.

Rivers: Sewage

Danny Kruger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of septic tanks on the cleanliness of rivers; and if he will make it his policy to ban septic tanks (a) in the catchment areas of chalk streams and (b) near other watercourses.

Robbie Moore: Large numbers of properties in rural areas of England rely on on-site water treatment systems as they are not connected to mains sewerage systems. Septic tanks, the most common on-site sewage treatment systems in these areas, are regulated to ensure they are maintained properly and do not cause pollution. Through our long-term Plan for Water, the Government is committed to delivering a clean water environment for people and nature, including the impact of private sewerage systems on chalk streams. This aligns with our broader commitment to review private sewage discharges regulation to manage environmental risk.

Litter: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle littering in Stockport constituency.

Robbie Moore: The Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan set out how we will support councils across the county to take tougher action against those that litter. For example, last year we significantly raised the upper limit on fixed penalty notices from £150 to £500 and from 1 April 2024 councils will have to spend this income on enforcement and clean up activity. On behalf of Defra and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Waste and Resources Action Programme has published guidance for local authorities on the provision of litter bins. The Right Bin in the Right Place guidance is available here. The Chewing Gum Task Force, established by Defra and funded by producers, has provided almost £2.5 million in grants since 2022 to help nearly 100 councils remove gum stains from high streets and invest in long-term behaviour change to prevent gum being dropped in the first place. The Task Force has recently launched another grant scheme for councils this year. Further information can be found here.

Timber: Imports

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) supply chain, (b) labelling and (c) other processes and requirements are in place to ensure that imported wood comes from a sustainable forestry scheme.

Rebecca Pow: The United Kingdom Timber Regulations (UKTR) prohibit the placing of illegally harvested timber on the market. Under the Withdrawal Act, UKTR applies to GB. Businesses must exercise due diligence on timber imports to demonstrate legality of harvest. The Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulations and associated Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA), aim to improve the supply of verified legal timber to the UK market. Producer countries who have agreed a VPA with the UK and can demonstrate effective nationwide controls verifying legality of harvest, can issue FLEGT licences. Under the UK Government Timber Procurement Policy, all timber products procured for use on the Government estate must meet accepted standards of legality and sustainability.

Foie Gras: Imports

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the reasons for changes in the amount of foie gras imported in 2023 compared with previous years; what information his Department holds on the number of businesses involved in importing foie gras in 2023; and when he plans to conclude the evidence base research phase of the foie gras importation ban consultation.

Mark Spencer: The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. Whilst we have domestic restrictions on the production of force-fed foie gras, it is possible to import foie gras from abroad. In line with the Government’s commitment to improving animal welfare standards as set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are committed to building a clear evidence base to inform future decisions.We do not currently have an end date for when this research will conclude.

Food Supply

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans to take information about expected future climatic conditions affecting (a) UK food production and (b) food imports into account in constructing the new Food Security Index.

Mark Spencer: We are in the process of developing the content of the new Food Security Index (FSI). We expect it will include a selection of indicators giving an assessment of food security across the five themes identified in the UK Food Security Report (UKFSR), including domestic food supply and imports. We expect the annual FSI will focus on a selection of indicators that typically show variation on an annual basis. The updated UKFSR, which will be published later this year, will include analysis of longer-term trends, such as the impact of changing climatic conditions on food security. Defra officials are considering what would be most useful to monitor on an annual basis. It will likely draw on key statistics in the UK Food Security Report.

Dangerous Dogs

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the income raised from charges for certificates of exemption to keep an XL Bully dog have been ringfenced to (a) cover the administrative costs of the exemption scheme and (b) support local authorities to enforce the ban.

Mark Spencer: The application fee paid by XL bully owners on registering an XL Bully covers the administrative costs for the life of the dog, including processing the application and lifetime record management.

Land: Conservation

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to protect landscapes with distinct literary heritage and value.

Rebecca Pow: Much of England's culturally rich landscapes and the literary heritage they represent are found in our National Parks, The Broads and National Landscapes. These Protected Landscapes are already specifically designated and managed to conserve and enhance their natural beauty and important cultural associations, including relevant literature and the sites which inspired it, as key components of the natural beauty of the area. Protected Landscapes are extensively protected as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework which gives ‘great weight’ to the landscape and scenic beauty of Protected Landscapes. In addition local authorities are able to formally identify areas of local landscape value in local plans and the historic literary importance of a place can already be taken into account in development decisions.

Biodiversity: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reverse biodiversity loss in Romford constituency.

Rebecca Pow: In England, we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity. We have legislated to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and to reverse species decline by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats. These targets will drive actions to support biodiversity in Romford and every other area across England. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the Environmental Improvement Plan published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature. Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are being prepared across the whole of England to support delivery of the targets. The 48 strategies are bringing together local partners to agree priorities and propose practical actions in areas where they would have the most benefit for nature recovery and the wider environment. The Romford constituency is within the Greater London LNRS area. Preparation of the strategy is being led by the Greater London Authority, with support from the local planning authorities in the area, including Havering Borough Council, which serves the Romford constituency. The Environment Agency is working with partners to improve the water quality and biodiversity of waterbodies within the constituency of Romford. The agency created a backwater on the side of the main channel of the river Rom as a fish refuge. This has benefitted fish populations and improved the wider river corridor for biodiversity by creating a varied mosaic of habitats. The agency also part funded a multi-partnership project to deliver river enhancement and restoration works to the River Rom and is currently looking at a potential project that would address issues impacting the River Ravensbourne at Harrow Lodge Park.

Marine Environment: Conservation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Evidence Needs Statement published by the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership in June 2023.

Rebecca Pow: The UK established the cross-Administration UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership (UKBCEP) to progress the evidence base on blue carbon habitats in UK waters. Through this partnership, Defra, DESNZ and the Devolved Administrations share information, data and knowledge on blue carbon evidence across UK administrations. The UKBCEP’s Evidence Needs Statement, published last year (2023), will support our ambition to fill critical evidence gaps relating to blue carbon habitats, increasing our understanding and thereby our ability to protect and restore these important habitats. These evidence gaps currently prevent the inclusion of coastal wetlands in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI)that would allow for saltmarsh habitats to contribute to the UK’s Net Zero target in accounting terms. The UKBCEP’s Evidence Needs Statement will help to address this, and together with our £640,000 funding commitment, will enable the development of a UK Saltmarsh Code, which will allow saltmarsh carbon to be marketed and traded as a carbon offset, prompting further investment in these crucial habitats; and support the creation of a restoration project pipeline for blue carbon habitats in the UK.

Veterinary Medicine: Nurses

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to provide legal protection for the title of veterinary nurse.

Mark Spencer: Defra recognises the important work carried out by veterinary nurses across the country, and the legal protection of the title is part of the ongoing consideration of legislative actions. Suitably qualified practitioners can sign up to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ register of veterinary nurses, which holds around 19,000 currently. Defra officials continue to work with stakeholders across the sector on possible avenues for legislative reform and will explore the inclusion of protection of the title within any future reforms, when parliamentary time allows.

Veterinary Medicine: Regulation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce a new regulatory framework for veterinary practices.

Mark Spencer: The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, which regulates the veterinary sector, runs a voluntary Practice Standards Scheme to encourage veterinary practices to meet the highest standards of veterinary care. Defra is aware of the potential benefits that legislative change could bring for the regulation of veterinary practices and is working with stakeholders to consider what this framework could look like.

Hunting: Botswana

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Botswana on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Namibia on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Tanzania on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in South Africa on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Zimbabwe on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Zambia on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State has not received any representations from his international counterparts on the potential impact of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Private Members’ Bill introduced by the Rt. Hon. Member for Warley.

Cabinet Office

Special Forces: Afghanistan and Iraq

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Minister for Veterans plans to correct the record of his oral contribution of 7 January 2020, Official report, column 362.

John Glen: The Minister for Veterans' Affairs is reviewing the record in light of the Afghanistan Inquiry which is currently underway. The Minister is fully aware of his obligations to Parliament and holds his responsibilities to the House in the highest regard.

Government Departments: Contracts

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department issues guidance for Departments on ensuring (a) fiscal responsibility and (b) propriety in international contract management.

Alex Burghart: a) Senior commercial professionals in central government are required to hold a commercial accreditation that demonstrates they meet the People Standards, as agreed by the Civil Service Board. The Commercial accreditation process involves a rigorous day-long capability assessment and ensures that responsible individuals have the commercial skills required to execute their fiscal responsibilities.b) Professionals responsible for management of relevant international programmes within the FCDO are required to complete the Contract Management Capability Programme, which is grounded in the Contract Management People Standards. The Programme is tiered and provides rigorous training as well as assessment. Again, this ensures that responsible individuals have the skills required to execute their contract management responsibilities.

Yvonne Fletcher

Allan Dorans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the preliminary report by Sir Anthony Duff into the events outside the Libyan People’s Bureau and murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher on 17 April 1984, dated 29 April 1984.

Allan Dorans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many files relating to the death of PC Yvonne Fletcher that are not classified have been published.

Allan Dorans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he last reviewed the classification status of files relating to the death of PC Yvonne Fletcher in 1984; and what his planned timetable is for reviewing those files.

Alex Burghart: The murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher was one of the most notorious crimes of the past 40 years and my thoughts remain with all who loved her.However, as is usual in the case of records relating to security and intelligence matters, the report and the other records relating to this matter have been retained in line with the Public Records Act 1958.

Department for Work and Pensions

Protective Clothing: Women

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of prosecutions that were initiated by the Health and Safety Executive for ill-fitting PPE provided to women workers in the last five years. .

Paul Maynard: In the last five years, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not initiated any prosecutions relating specifically for ill-fitting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provided to women workers.

Outdoor Recreation: Licensing

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the scope of Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations to include voluntary organisations.

Paul Maynard: The Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004 require persons providing facilities for adventure activities in return for payment to hold a licence granted by the licensing authority in accordance with the regulations. Persons are not required to hold a licence where facilities are provided by a voluntary association to its members or members of other voluntary associations by agreement between the associations. Since 2007 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been the licensing authority for the regulations. In 2018 HSE consulted stakeholders as part of a review of the delivery and scope of adventure activity licensing. In preparation for that consultation HSE considered and decided against extending licensing to include exempt persons such as voluntary organisations. This was on the basis that:The financial burden on schools, local authorities and voluntary organisations would have created a risk that services would be cut thereby reducing provision of adventure activities for young people which would have been contrary to the purpose of the review.The inspectorate at the time would not have been able to cope with the demand for licenses such a change would have created.

Personal Savings

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help people save for the future.

Paul Maynard: Retirement saving has been transformed with over 11 million employees put into workplace pensions since 2012. We are committed to the expansion of Automatic Enrolment in the mid-2020s. Our reforms will benefit younger workers and increase overall amounts being saved, with 3m people saving £2bn extra a year.

Low Incomes: Rents

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support low-income renters.

Mims Davies: We spend around £30bn annually on housing support for low-income renters in the private and social rented sectors. From April we are investing £1.2bn increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of market rents, ensuring 1.6m private renters gain on average almost £800 in 2024/25 in additional support towards rental costs. This significant investment will cost £7bn over five years. Discretionary Housing Payments are available for those who need additional support. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7bn for DHPs to local authorities.

Food Banks

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's policy on the use of foodbank signposting slips at Jobcentres on vulnerable households.

Jo Churchill: On 19 February we introduced a new food charity signposting slip to replace the one previously used.This does not change DWP signposting policy but improves the signposting slip to comply with our obligations under GDPR.Our Jobcentres continue to provide customers with guidance to find additional support, including signposting to emergency food support when appropriate.The new slip does not include any personal data. It also now provides claimants with information on where they might access emergency food locally, and wider sources of support.

Unemployment

Rob Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce inactivity in the labour market.

Jo Churchill: DWP supports people across the country to move into and progress in work, and we are committed to reducing economic inactivity. Over the last year, we have announced a wide range of additional measures building on our extensive employment support, breaking down barriers to work for those we know are more likely to experience economic inactivity.

Universal Credit

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit Migration Notice letters he plans to send to people in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency and (b) the UK by 31 March 2025.

Jo Churchill: The Department plans to send Migration Notices to over 1 million households by 31 March 2025. We intend to publish constituency level data at a future date.

Access to Work Programme: Icarus Theatre Collective

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to settle Access to Work payments owed to Icarus Theatre Collective in Southwark to support a disabled actor.

Mims Davies: We are unable to comment on individual cases. Claims for Access to Work payments can be submitted via our online portal or through the post and this is clearly explained in customer letters. Approved claims submitted through the proper channels are typically processed within 10 days.

Tax Credits: Universal Credit

Dame Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential reasons why people receiving tax credits are not voluntarily migrating to Universal Credit.

Jo Churchill: It is the customers responsibility to choose whether to make an application for Universal Credit. There is no evidence to suggest any actions the Department has taken or should have taken are influencing that choice.

State Retirement Pensions: National Insurance Contributions

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2024 to Question 16811 on State Retirement Pensions: National Insurance Contributions, how many days his Department took on average to reassess a citizen's claim to state pensions following notification of an updated National Insurance record by HMRC in the latest year for which data is available; and how many people waited more than one month for their claim to be reassessed in that period.

Paul Maynard: This information is only available at disproportionate cost to The Department for Work & Pensions as the Department does not have a business requirement for this information to be retained.

Department for Business and Trade

P&O Ferries: Redundancy

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Insolvency Service has concluded the investigation into P&O Ferries' dismissal of 786 seafarers on 17 March 2022.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Insolvency Service’s civil investigation into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries remains ongoing. No further comment or information can be provided at this time.

Commonwealth Games 2022: Official Visits

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many people from (a) the UK and (b) overseas, excluding speakers and hosts, were projected to visit in person the UK House venue run by her Department at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games from 28 July to 8 August 2022 in the final business case approved by her Department for that event.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many individuals were projected to visit virtually the UK House venue run by her Department at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games from 28 July to 8 August 2022 in the final business case approved by her Department for that event.

Greg Hands: UK House was part of the wider Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Tourism, Trade & Investment Programme business case led by West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) & West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for International Trade and Visit Britain. The final business case provides no UK House visitor projections, either virtually or in person.

Department for Business and Trade: Written Questions

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she intends to respond to Questions 16291 and 16292, tabled on 29 February 2024 by the Rt hon member for North Durham for answer on 5 March.

Kevin Hollinrake: A response was provided to Questions 16291 and 16292 on 15 March 2024.

Department for Business and Trade: Fraud and Maladministration

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from £13.4m in 2019/20 to £160.7m in 2020/21.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023 does not mention Department for Business and Trade.The Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (formerly the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise) as part of established reporting cycles.The government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent.Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across government. This is in line with the government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy detected error was £13.4m in 2019/20 as published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and increased to £160.7m in 2020/21 as published in the Fraud Landscape Report.

Trade Agreements: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to include minimum standards for animal welfare in future trade deals.

Greg Hands: The Government is working to secure world-class free trade agreements that uphold our manifesto commitment to not compromise the UK’s high animal welfare standards. As the Prime Minister reiterated in his open letter to farmers last May, the Government continues to protect UK food standards in free trade agreements and seek to advance international co-operation on animal welfare and to promote high welfare standards globally.

Batteries: Manufacturing Industries

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to promote the development of a domestic battery industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We continue to work with industry via the Automotive Transformation Fund to support the creation of an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK, including gigafactories. With Government support, completion of AESC’s second Sunderland gigafactory and Tata-Agratas' £4bn gigafactory announcement will increase the UK’s committed battery capacity to over half of estimated 2030 demand.We are also investing record sums in battery R&D through the Faraday Battery Challenge, to establish the UK as a battery science superpower, with £610m committed since 2017.In November 2023, the Advanced Manufacturing Plan announced over £2bn of capital and R&D funding over five years to 2030, unlocking investment in zero emission vehicles, batteries and the wider supply chain. Alongside the AMP, we published a UK Battery Strategy, which outlined the Government’s vision for the UK to achieve a globally competitive battery supply chain by 2030 that supports economic prosperity and the net zero transition.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Kate Sang

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the opening statement by the Secretary of State at the Lords Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee on 12 March 2024, what the total cost to the public purse was of legal fees including the (a) £15,000 settlement paid and (b) other legal expenditure.

Andrew Griffith: A sum of £15,000 was paid without admitting any liability. This approach is intended to reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer that could result from protracted legal action.Costs relating to legal fees incurred by the department will be published as part of DSIT’s Annual Report and Accounts.

UK Research and Innovation: Social Media

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her policy is on producing reports into the online activity of academics on UKRI boards.

Andrew Griffith: The Secretary of State is a staunch believer in free speech and would not authorise a sweeping collection of the views of academics.

Broadband: East Yorkshire

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of households that have access to high speed broadband in East Yorkshire constituency.

Julia Lopez: According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 96% of premises in the East Yorkshire constituency can access a superfast connection. Over 77% of premises are able to access a gigabit-capable connection, up from just 4% in December 2019. We recently announced a £60 million Project Gigabit contract to further extend gigabit broadband coverage in West and parts of North Yorkshire, including in the East Yorkshire constituency. Parts of the constituency are also included in the Project Gigabit procurement for South Yorkshire. We plan to announce the details of that contract shortly.

Women and Equalities

Restricted Growth: Discrimination

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help reduce discrimination faced by people of restricted growth.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is committed to improving life choices and opportunities for disabled people in their private lives, in their communities and in employment. We want everyone, including people of restricted growth, to live their lives free from discrimination and harassment.The Equality Act 2010 may protect people of restricted growth on the grounds of disability, depending on the particular circumstances. The 2010 Act defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”. An employer or a service provider is required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not put at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.On 5 February 2024 we published the final Disability Action Plan together with the independent analysis of the consultation findings. The Disability Action Plan sets out 32 practical actions in 14 different areas which the government will take forward over the next 12 months, with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, and other government departments and public service providers, to improve disabled people’s daily lives, as well as laying the foundations for longer term change.Any disabled person who may have been personally discriminated against in employment or provision of services because of a disability may contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the government helpline established to provide free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns. The EASS can be contacted via their website at www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/, or by telephone on 0808 8000082.

Treasury

Treasury: Domestic Visits

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Gareth Davies: The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals).But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

National Insurance: Pensioners

Gill Furniss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of abolishing National Insurance Contributions on pensioners' finances.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of abolishing National Insurance Contributions on funding for state pensions.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of abolishing National Insurance Contributions on determining eligibility criteria for the state pension.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government believes the double taxation of work is unfair. That is why we’ve cut 4p from employee NICs in the last six months which will mean the average worker receives a tax cut worth £900 this coming year and why we are committed to ending this unfairness.Cutting NICs rates does not affect anyone’s entitlement to the State Pension or contributory benefits.

Inflation: Personal Income

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has conducted recent distributional analysis of the impact of inflation on people in different income brackets.

Bim Afolami: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish experimental statistics which show the inflation experienced by households across the income distribution: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/householdcostsindicesforukhouseholdgroups/latest

Tax Avoidance: Prosecutions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of prosecutions that have been made against the promoters and operators of schemes now subject to the Loan Charge.

Bim Afolami: I refer the hon. Member for Hendon to the answer given on 8 February 2024 to Question UIN 12466.

Money Laundering: Prosecutions

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions for money laundering offences HM Revenue and Customs brought against individuals in each year since 2013; and how many of those prosecutions resulted in a conviction in each of those years.

Bim Afolami: I refer the right hon. Member for Barking to the answer I gave on 11 March 2024 to Question UIN 16576 .

Finance: Advisory Services

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many active registered financial advisers there are; how many such advisers there were in 2014; and what assessment the Financial Conduct Authority has made of the causes of changes in the levels of such advisers.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many small financial advice firms the Financial Conduct Authority has visited in the last 12 months; and for what reasons.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many regulations governing the financial advice sector there are; how many there were in 2014; and what assessment the Financial Conduct Authority has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of such regulations on the work of the sector.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Financial Conduct Authority is taking to increase the (a) availability and (b) affordability of financial advice for consumers, and how the effectiveness of such steps is measured.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of financial advisers in relation to the demand for financial advice from consumers (a) now and (b) in the future.

Bim Afolami: HM Treasury works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure that the market works well, competitively and fairly for both firms and consumers, and that the advice being provided is of high quality.HM Treasury sets the legislative framework for financial services, including financial advice, and regulation of the sector is the responsibility of the independent FCA. Their rules require advice firms to understand the essential facts about their client’s investment objectives, risk tolerance, and ability to bear losses before making a recommendation. The FCA’s Consumer Duty also applies, which requires regulated firms to avoid foreseeable harm and support their customers to pursue their financial objectives.In 2020, the FCA published an evaluation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) and the Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR) – significant interventions to improve the quality of financial advice. This found that the reviews enhanced the offering available to consumers and increased trust in the investment industry. It also found a small increase in the number of advisers in the market from approximately 35,000 to 36,400 between 2012 and 2019.The Government recognises continued concerns regarding the accessibility and cost of advice and has launched a review, alongside the FCA, of the regulatory boundary between financial guidance and financial advice. The review seeks to create a regulatory system where commercially viable, high-quality models of support can emerge for consumers at all life stages. HM Treasury and the FCA published a joint policy paper in December 2023 outlining initial proposals for reform and are currently considering the feedback provided by industry and consumer groups.

Insurance: Companies

Vicky Ford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5.121, page 99 of the Autumn Statement 2023, what his planned timetable is for publishing a consultation on introducing a UK regime for captive insurance companies; what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Prudential Regulation Authority and (b) Financial Conduct Authority on the potential introduction of a captive insurance regime; and what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing such a regime.

Bim Afolami: As announced at Autumn Statement, the Government will consult on the design of a new framework for encouraging the establishment and growth of captive insurance companies in the UK. The consultation will launch in Spring 2024.The consultation will test views on proposals to introduce an attractive and competitive new UK captive insurance regime that works for businesses. Key to this will also be proportionate regulation that maintains the UK’s high regulatory standards.The Treasury will continue to work closely with the independent regulators as it considers the case for a UK captives framework.

Personal Savings

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the level of average savings of households.

Bim Afolami: The government’s plan is working, with inflation down and growth forecast to improve. This allowed the government, at Spring Budget 2024, to cut taxes further for working people. These are the most important things that the government can do to support households to save.At Spring Budget 2024, the Chancellor also set out further measures to support and encourage a savings culture across the UK and increase opportunities for people to save for the longer term. This included launching a consultation to introduce a new UK ISA with a £5,000 allowance for investments in UK assets and funds, in addition to the existing £20,000 ISA allowance, and the launch of British Savings Bonds, delivered through National Savings & Investment.These measures sit alongside existing policies such as Help to Save, which supports people on low incomes to save, and the Lifetime ISA, which supports people to save for a first home or later lifeThe retail savings market currently offers a range of options to savers, who can access competitive rates on a variety of instant access and fixed-term products.

Chelsea Football Club

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress the Financial Sanctions Implementation Office has made on establishing the foundation to manage and distribute monies from the proceeds of the sale of Chelsea FC.

Bim Afolami: The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are currently frozen in a UK bank account while independent experts establish a foundation to manage and distribute the money. A licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation will then be needed to move the funds to the foundation. We are working hard to reach an arrangement that delivers this money to humanitarian causes in Ukraine as quickly as possible.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Supported Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to section 1 of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, what progress his Department has made on establishing the Supported Housing Advisory Panel.

Felicity Buchan: The Secretary of State is establishing The Supported Housing Advisory Panel in accordance with the duty set out in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. The primary focus of the Panel will be delivering better outcomes for people, and a fairer, more just approach to supported housing for the most vulnerable, as the measures in the Act are developed and implemented.We will be recruiting the members through open competition and the advert will be open shortly.

Business: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his plans are for determining the membership of the east-west business council.

Felicity Buchan: Since the Council was announced in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, UK Government officials have been engaging with The Executive Office to establish the first meeting of the Council. The Secretary of State will be setting out further details about the Council soon.

Protective Clothing: Women

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the number of prosecutions for ill-fitting Personal Protective Equipment provided to women workers initiated by local authorities in the last five years.

Simon Hoare: The department does not hold the information requested.

Laboratories

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of laboratory space in the UK since 15 March 2023.

Lee Rowley: It is for local planning authorities to determine the type of employment land that is needed in their area, and local plans should make sufficient provision for employment and other commercial development. Local policies are expected to be supported by a robust evidence base to understand existing business needs, reflecting local circumstances and market conditions.

Laboratories: Planning Permission

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking through the planning system to increase the availability of laboratory space.

Lee Rowley: We have committed to strengthening national planning policy so that it better supports the needs of Research and Development, and will consult on these changes in due course.We are also working to make investment in this sector more attractive. This includes working with local planning authorities to encourage the use of proactive planning tools, such as Local Development Orders, to make it easier to bring forward development.To support this, the Autumn Statement announced £5 million of funding to help local planning authorities prepare Local Development Orders for commercial development.

Owner Occupation

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of households have transitioned to full ownership under (a) Shared Ownership and (b) Rent to Buy schemes funded by Homes England.

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to home ownership schemes funded through Homes England, whether his Department collects data on the (a) number of households in shared ownership or rent to buy properties, (b) income of tenants, (c) number of tenants that have transitioned to full ownership under shared ownership and rent to buy and (d) number of years tenants rented their homes for before purchase.

Lee Rowley: Information on the number of shared owners who have staircased to full ownership is publicly available from our live tables on social housing sales.The department collects information on the number of households living in Shared Ownership homes via the English Housing Survey.It is not possible to distinguish between Rent to Buy – Shared Ownership and other Shared Ownership products in these datasets.

Housing: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many homes have been built in Oldham in the last year.

Lee Rowley: The department’s most comprehensive measure of housing supply is our annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’. This includes estimates of new homes added in each local authority, but does not show figures at the constituency level.You can find data for Oldham Council here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing.

Planning Permission: Standards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking with local authorities to improve the time taken to process planning applications.

Lee Rowley: We are taking action to speed up determinations for planning applications in a number of ways. Reforms in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act seek to streamline the development management process and support decisions which are timely, transparent, and of high quality.The Government has also recently increased planning fees and provided a range of new funding streams through the Government’s capacity and capability programme, including the £29 million Planning Skills Delivery Fund to provide local planning authorities with additional resources needed to deliver a high quality and timely planning service.In addition to this, on 6 March the Government launched an Accelerated Planning Service consultation. This sets out measures to offer a new application route with accelerated decision dates for major commercial applications and fee refunds wherever these are not met. It also includes measures to more closely monitor the performance of local planning authorities in making decisions within statutory periods rather than using extension of time agreements.

Bicycles: Storage

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending planning rules to make it easier to install bicycle sheds in front gardens.

Lee Rowley: We are currently consulting on changes to the householder permitted development rights to allow bin and bike stores in front gardens without the need for a planning application.The consultation is open until 9 April 2024 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-various-permitted-development-rights-consultation.

Culture: Levelling Up Fund

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of Levelling Up funding was provided to cultural activities in the 2022-23 financial year; and how much and what proportion of planned funding for cultural activities was unallocated in the same period.

Jacob Young: The Culture Top Slice of the Levelling Up Fund has now been allocated. Details were set out at Budget. Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Chess: Finance

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many local authorities submitted bids for funding for new chess tables.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department held discussions with relevant stakeholders prior to the announcement of funding for local authorities to install chess tables in public spaces.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Major investment to transform future of English chess announced, published on 22 August 2023, whether he plans to assess the impact of funding chess tables on (a) levels of loneliness and (b) people's problem solving skills.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to ensure that newly-installed chess tables funded by his Department are used for their intended purpose.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Installing chess tables in parks and public spaces: prospectus, published on 1 September 2023, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to local authorities for chess pieces to accompany the chess tables.

Jacob Young: 85 local authorities that received Levelling Up Parks Fund funding were invited to apply for the chess tables funding. In total, 55 local authorities applied for the funding. We have provided funding to those 55 local authorities to install 99 chess tables across England.We have asked local authorities to consider how the location they choose creates new opportunities, helps to strengthen relationships, builds local social cohesion and provides opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity.Prior to the announcement of funding, we engaged stakeholders across Government, as well as local authorities and the English Chess Federation.Local authorities know their communities best and are best placed to manage the use and assess the effects of the chess tables locally, if they choose to do so.Any decisions to provide chess sets are for local authorities to take.Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Homelessness: Burnley

Antony Higginbotham: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what (a) funding and (b) other support his Department has provided to Burnley Borough Council to tackle (i) homelessness and (ii) rough sleeping since December 2019.

Felicity Buchan: The Government is supporting local authorities to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping through, for example, the Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) and the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI). Allocations of Government funding are published on gov.uk.DLUHC’s dedicated team of homelessness and rough sleeping advisers also work regularly with local authorities to provide expert support in tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in their area.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Electric Cables: Rural Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with National Grid on the installation of large electricity pylons in the countryside.

Graham Stuart: The Government does not plan or develop energy infrastructure and the regulatory framework for the UK's independent energy industry is set by Ofgem. Ministers and officials engage with National Grid Electricity Transmission regularly as part of the usual policy making process. This includes but is not limited to discussing network infrastructure. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State last met senior representatives from National Grid on Tuesday 12th March at a stakeholder reception.

Coal Fired Power Stations: Research

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department (a) funds and (b) has plans to fund research into cleaner combustion technologies for (i) wood chip and (ii) multi-fuel power plants.

Amanda Solloway: The Department does not fund and has no current plans to fund research into cleaner combustion technologies for wood chip and multi-fuel power plants, recognising that biomass combustion is at a mature stage of commercial deployment.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to investigate representations made to her Department by members of the public adversely affected by the business practices of rent-a-roof companies under the (a) Feed-In-Tariff and (b) Renewable Heat Incentive schemes.

Andrew Bowie: The Government is aware of the troubling issues that householders have reported regarding commercial lease/rent-a-roof arrangements linked to the Feed-in Tariff and Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive schemes. Minister Bowie met with some of the affected consumers last month to listen to their concerns. Whilst these are private law contracts, the Department is currently investigating these issues and working with the responsible regulatory bodies, before determining what action can be taken.

Aquind: Electricity Interconnectors

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made of the compatibility of the AQUIND Interconnector Project with Ofgem’s expanded assessment criteria frameworks, Initial Project Assessment, for projects applying to the upcoming Window 3 cap and floor round.

Graham Stuart: The regulatory approval process for interconnectors in Great Britain is run by Ofgem. Details of Ofgem's consideration of the AQUIND project can be found in Ofgem's Initial Project Assessment for this application round, which was published on 1 March 2024. The Ofgem regulatory process is independent from Government and therefore the Secretary of State has not assessed the compatibility of Aquind with Ofgem’s Initial Project Assessment criteria.

Aquind: Electricity Interconnectors

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether recommendations made by Ofgem in its upcoming Window 3 cap and floor round for interconnector projects will be taken into account by her Department when making a decision on the AQUIND Interconnector Project.

Graham Stuart: In taking the decision on any application for development consent for a nationally significant infrastructure project, the Secretary of State will consider all relevant planning matters.Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in the re-determination of this application, it would not be appropriate to comment on any specific matters regarding the application.

Aquind: Electricity Interconnectors

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of constraint costs associated with the AQUIND Interconnector Project.

Graham Stuart: The regulatory approval process for interconnectors in Great Britain is run by Ofgem. Details of Ofgem's consideration of the AQUIND project can be found in Ofgem's Initial Project Assessment for this application round, which was published on 1 March 2024. The Ofgem regulatory process is independent from Government and therefore the Secretary of State has not assessed constraint costs associated with the project.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of awards granted via the Warm Home Discount Scheme per regional electricity area since 2011.

Amanda Solloway: Figures are not available for the number of households receiving Warm Home Discounts by regional electricity area. National level information on the number of households receiving Warm Home Discounts since 2011 can be found in Table 17 of the Warm Home Discount data tables (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/warm-home-discount-statistics-2022-to-2023).

Energy: Disability and Low Incomes

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to reduce energy bills for (a) disabled households and (b) households on low incomes.

Amanda Solloway: Over the last two years, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the most vulnerable with one of the largest support packages in Europe. Taken together, total support between 2022 and 2025 to help households with the cost of living is worth £108 billion – an average of £3,800 per UK household. The Government is continuing to support those most in need with millions of vulnerable households who have received up to £900 in further Cost of Living Payments, with an extra £150 to those on eligible disability benefits. An extra cost of living payment is being paid to pensioner households worth up to £300 through the Winter Fuel Payment, meaning eligible individuals will receive between £250 - £600. The Government continues to provide support through the Warm Home Discount, which provides low-income households with an annual £150 rebate off their energy bill every winter.

Electricity: ICT

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of (a) data centres and (b) AI infrastructure on demand for electricity in the next ten years.

Graham Stuart: The Government does not project demand by type of end use. Instead, it projects forward total electricity demand by sector, based on trends in past data and the observed past relationship with economic drivers, such as price and economic growth. We therefore do not have projections of electricity demand from data centres and AI infrastructure. This would however be picked up in the future through the statistical analysis if increases in consumption from these sources lead to significant deviation from past trends and relationships.

Energy

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with the Leader of the House on making parliamentary time available for scrutiny of the Draft Strategy and Policy Statement for Energy Policy; and whether she plans to table a motion to refer that Strategy to a Delegated Legislation Committee.

Amanda Solloway: The Draft Strategy and Policy Statement for Energy Policy will be debated in a Delegated Legislation Committee tomorrow.

Electricity: Caravan Sites

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions her Department has had with Ofgem on (a) the best practice for the provision of details to clients of any electricity prices that will be charged on a caravan site, and (b) the level of enforcement action Ofgem have commenced against caravan sites that are overcharging for electricity.

Amanda Solloway: The Government regularly engages with Ofgem on consumer issues. Under Ofgem’s Maximum Resale Price Provisions caravan site owners must not resell energy to residents at a higher price than what they paid to their licensed energy supplier. Residents are also entitled to see documentation, including a breakdown of the rates included in a bill or a contract.

Heat Pumps

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether it remains her Department's schedule to deliver the Clean Heat Market Mechanism with the associated fines in April 2024.

Amanda Solloway: As set out in the recently published Clean Heat Market Mechanism Consultation Response Addendum, the Government plans to adjust the launch of the scheme from 1 April 2024 to 1 April 2025.